Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth has launched a scathing critique of the Indian cricket team ahead of the second Test match in 2024 against South Africa. Following a disheartening innings defeat in the first Test in Centurion, India aims to salvage a draw in the series by winning the final Test.

Srikkanth, expressing his dissatisfaction on his YouTube channel, labeled the Indian team as overrated in Test cricket. He asserted that several players in the Test squad have been underperforming recently while deserving candidates like Kuldeep Yadav are being overlooked.

“In T20 cricket, India is highly overrated. In ODI cricket, we are a fantastic team. What happens in ODIs, in the semi-finals, finals, it’s just a one-off match. It’s a luck factor, a lot depends on luck in these matches… Regardless of where we play, be it India, Australia, or South Africa, we are a gun side,” criticized Kris Srikkanth.

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While acknowledging India’s dominance during Virat Kohli’s captaincy, Srikkanth expressed concerns about the team’s current status, emphasizing that they have been living on the reputation of past successes.

“Test cricket, we are overrated…when Virat Kohli was the captain of the team, we were outstanding. We dominated in England, we fought hard in South Africa, we won in Australia. We had a good phase for 2-4 years… Yes, we were dominating in England, in Australia,” Kris Srikkanth remarked.

Despite India finishing 2023 as the top team in all formats, they faltered in ICC tournaments, losing the World Test Championship Final and the ODI World Cup Final against Australia. Srikkanth believes it’s time for India to shift their focus away from ICC rankings and address the presence of overrated players while ensuring deserving talents get opportunities.

“We have to forget ICC ranking… It’s a combination of having over-rated cricketers and people who have not performed up to their potential. Or there are players who have not had enough chances like Kuldeep (Yadav),” urged Kris Srikkanth.

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Responding to India captain Rohit Sharma’s remarks about the team’s success away from home, Srikkanth emphasized the need to focus on recent performances rather than resting on past laurels.

“If you want to be the best team, you should be capable of being the giants in their home grounds… You have to just look at how you have performed in the last 2 years, last 18 months,” concluded the 1983 World Cup winner.