Is Pakistan's All-Time Best Cricket Team Superior to India's Despite Starting Cricket Earlier?

The debate over which cricket superpower, Pakistan or India, has the better team has been a common topic among cricket enthusiasts. Despite India's early start in cricket and a population of over 1 billion, the discussion about the relative strength of both nations' cricket teams rages on. This article delves into the considerations that determine whether or not Pakistan's all-time best cricket team trumps India's.

Comparing the Teams

When discussing the India cricket team vs. Pakistan cricket team, it's crucial to define which team we're referring to. Many would argue that pre-neutral umpire era India had a perceived advantage, but with the introduction of neutral umpires, the Pakistani team has shown more consistency, with only a few losses standing out.

India's Strengths and Weaknesses

India's cricket team has had its fair share of success and challenges. While the Indian team's earlier weaknesses included struggling against fast bowling at fast pitches, the country has produced consistent top performers such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and M.S. Dhoni. However, the team has faced challenges in producing a consistent class of fast bowlers, which has been rectified to an extent with fast bowlers like Jadhav Shami, and Bhuvneshwar。

India's weaknesses are mainly in the following areas:

ODIs and Tests: There is a lack of top-notch seamers, with Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath being notable due to injuries. Bhuvneshwar, while good, has a very poor strike rate. Players like R. Jadeja and Shami have not played enough Tests to be categorized as 'all-time greats'.

Pakistan's Strengths and Weaknesses

Pakistan, on the other hand, is renowned for its fast bowlers and aggressive batting approach. However, the Pakistani team has also had its issues. The opening batting partnership, in particular, has been a point of concern.

Pakistan's weaknesses include:

ODIs: The lack of a reliable opening batsman who can partner Saeed Anwar has been a significant drawback. Zaheer Abbas can bat as an opener, but it is not his natural batting position. Both ODIs and Tests: The team has lacked a specialist wicketkeeper. Moeen, a good finisher, and Sarfaraz, a promising batsman, are not the best wicketkeepers by modern standards.

Comparing Specific Players and Squads

When we look at specific players and squads, the dynamics of the match become even clearer.

India's Playing XI

ODIs: #1 Sachin Tendulkar, #2 Rohit Sharma, #3 Virat Kohli, #4 Mohammad Azharuddin/Rahul Dravid, #5 Yuvraj Singh, #6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni, #7 Kapil Dev, #8 Harbhajan Singh, #9 Javagal Srinath/Ravindra Jadeja, #10 Anil Kumble, #11 Zaheer Khan Tests: #1 Sunil Gavaskar, #2 Virender Sehwag, #3 Rahul Dravid, #4 Sachin Tendulkar, #5 Virat Kohli, #6 M.S. Dhoni, #7 Ravichandran Ashwin, #8 Kapil Dev, #9 Ravindra Jadeja/Javagal Srinath, #10 Anil Kumble, #11 Zaheer Khan

Pakistan's Playing XI

ODIs: #1 Saeed Anwar, #2 Zaheer Abbas, #3 Inzamam ul Haq, #4 Mohammad Yousuf, #5 Javed Miandad, #6 Imran Khan, #7 Moin Khan, #8 Wasim Akram, #9 Waqar Younis, #10 Saqlain Mushtaq, #11 Shoaib Akhtar/Saeed Ajmal Tests: #1 Saeed Anwar, #2 Hanif Mohammad, #3 Zaheer Abbas, #4 Mohammad Yousuf, #5 Javed Miandad, #6 Imran Khan, #7 Moin Khan, #8 Wasim Akram, #9 Abdul Qadir, #10 Shoaib Akhtar/Saqlain Mushtaq, #11 Waqar Younis

Relative Strengths and Weaknesses

Top-order Batting 1–5: Both teams have strong top-order batsmen, and the teams are evenly matched here.

Lower Order Batting 6–9: MS Dhoni and Jadeja make the Indian team's lower order much stronger. With Harbhajan and Kumble, India plays a top-notch spin attack. Another strong spinner in modern-day standards is Ashwin, further boosting the Indian team's standing.

Keeping: Dhoni's superior and agile gamekeeping skills give India an edge over the Pakistani team.

Spin Bowling: India stands out with its top-notch spinners in ODIs and Tests, namely Harbhajan and Kumble. Adding Ashwin and Jadeja improves this aspect further. Pakistan's top spinners are Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq, but they have a smaller difference in class.

Seam Bowling: Pakistan's fast bowlers, including Wasim, Waqar, and Imran, are outstanding. India's pace attack is not as strong in comparison.

Fielding: India boasts outstanding fielders such as Rahul Dravid, M.S. Dhoni, and Yuvraj Singh. This superiority in fielding becomes more significant in ODIs.

Considering these factors, in Tests, the two teams are evenly matched on neutral surfaces, with India having an advantage on spinning tracks and Pakistan on grass-covered pitches. In ODIs, India clearly excels due to its better batting depth and superior fielding.

Therefore, while Pakistan's all-time best cricket team is impressive and has made significant contributions to the sport, India's consistent performance and depth in various departments make India the better team in the current context.