Best Asian Test Team of All Time

[Slifer]

Afaic the ATG openers are as follows: Hobbs, Hutton, Sutcliffe, Gavaskar. Everybody else (openers) are a rung below.

 

[Red]

Offtopic, but is there an universal ATG that Sunny wouldn't be a part of? Meaning to ask, is he quite possibly the greatest opening bat to draw breath?

Yeh, he sits with Hobbs and Hutton imo as the greatest ever. Barry Richards too, but you know etc.

 

[harsh.ag]

Sutcliffe seemed to lack the next level gear which Gavaskar demonstrated having. Great numbers though obvsly.

 

[Red]

Sutcliffe was an amazing cricketer. Was actually better against the great teams of the day, did less well against the minnows.

Must have been a decent player of spin as well, averaged close to 70 against Australian teams featuring Mailey, then Grimmett/OReilly.

No real reason not to include him in the top tier at all, probably should tbh. I dont know why I didnt.

 

[mr_mister]

Trumper, Grace, Greenidge and Richards in the second tier?

 

[Slifer]

Trumper, Grace, Greenidge and Richards in the second tier?

And probably the likes of: Lawry, Simpson, Hunte, G Smith, Boycott, Amiss, Sehwag, Hayden. The last two notwithstanding their short comings to the moving ball, we can't ignore their impact for their respective teams.

 

[oblongballs]

Offtopic, but is there an universal ATG that Sunny wouldn't be a part of? Meaning to ask, is he quite possibly the greatest opening bat to draw breath?

Gavaskar is not the best opening batsman of all time. He would be in a top 10 discussion but to label him the best is madness with the likes of Hobbs, Hayden, Hanif, Haynes, Greenidge all having played truly top tier cricket.

I would personally pick many others over him as he was too lethargic and limited in his approach. What he did, he did very well but he didnt quite play in every direction like Greenidge for instance of have the class and poise of Hobbs.

 

[srbhkshk]

Isn't Cook at least second tier, he has the longevity, does well against pace and spin and England is not the best place for an opening batsman.

 

[harsh.ag]

Grace is the greatest batsman of all time alongside Bradman. Exclude him completely if you have to, but this second tier thing should go out the window.

 

[Chrish]

Sutcliffe was criticized for excessive pad-play. I have read somewhere over here that his average steeply declined when new lbw rule was put into place.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Sutcliffe was criticized for excessive pad-play. I have read somewhere over here that his average steeply declined when new lbw rule was put into place.

I've read about this but it doesn't seem to line up with the facts. IIRC the lbw law was changed in 1935 which was Sutcliffe's last year in test cricket anyway.

He was one of the strongest opponents of the change though.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Gavaskar is not the best opening batsman of all time. He would be in a top 10 discussion but to label him the best is madness with the likes of Hobbs, Hayden, Hanif, Haynes, Greenidge all having played truly top tier cricket.

I would personally pick many others over him as he was too lethargic and limited in his approach. What he did, he did very well but he didnt quite play in every direction like Greenidge for instance of have the class and poise of Hobbs.

Gavaskar could counterattack about as well as anyone. He wasn't some Chris Tavare. He's pretty comprehensively better than the likes of Hayden and Greenidge.

 

[oblongballs]

Gavaskar could counterattack about as well as anyone. He wasn't some Chris Tavare. He's pretty comprehensively better than the likes of Hayden and Greenidge.

I rate Sunny as great as the other I mentioned, to say one is comprehensively better than the others is utter bollocks quite frankly and reeks of nothing more than national bias.

Gavaskar was nowhere near the counter attacking powerhouse of a Hayden or Greenidge but those two never had his knack of digging in. So they balance each other out but none of them is "comprehensively better".

 

[harsh.ag]

Yeah, the only way Gavaskar could be clearly superior to Hayden is via nationalistic bias.

 

[mr_mister]

Hobbs and Hutton for the all time XI anyway everyone knows that

 

[Chrish]

Personally would go with Gavaskar and Barry in my all time XI

Sunny averaged 40+ in every country barring Lanka in an era when batting wasn’t so easy. In case of Barry, glowing peer testimony is impossible to ignore. Moreover proved himself every time he had an opportunity.

 

[Red]

Yeah, the only way Gavaskar could be clearly superior to Hayden is via nationalistic bias.

Ha, so true.

Well, I'm Australian and I rate Gavaskar significantly higher than Hayden as an opening batsman.

 

[Red]

Trumper, Grace, Greenidge and Richards in the second tier?

I kind of leave Trumper and Grace out of these conversations because it's difficult to judge. No doubting they were brilliant though.

 

[Red]

Personally would go with Gavaskar and Barry in my all time XI

Sunny averaged 40+ in every country barring Lanka in an era when batting wasn’t so easy. In case of Barry, glowing peer testimony is impossible to ignore. Moreover proved himself every time he had an opportunity.

For the most part it's Hutton for me, with one of either B.Richards or Gavaskar.

So many good judges believe B.Richards to the the best batsman since Bradman it's hard to ignore.

 

[watson]

The batting is solid but the bowling is weak. Murali ahead of gupte for sure

Murali is Asia’s greatest off-spinner and Kumble is Asia’s greatest leg-spinner. However, Subhash Gupte is probably Asia’s best ever leg-break googly bowler and I think that an attack is generally more potent with a classy Grimmett, Benaud, or Warne like bowler in it.

If Gupte had the likes of Waugh, Ponting, Taylor, and Hayden around the bat rather than the hapless Indian fielders of his day then his average and strike rate would be more like Warne’s because he really was that good.