Kohli's India vs 80s India - Better batters

[subshakerz]

Generally understood that 2000s India had the best batting side ever for their country.

Who has the batter batting unit between Kohli's team (Kohli, Rahane, Pujara, Pant, etc) and late 70s/80s India (Gavaskar, Amaranth, Vengsarkar, Vishwanath, etc) ?

 

[OverratedSanity]

80s India probably had marginally better specialists. Kohli team way better depth.

 

[howitzer]

That period excludes Vengsarkar's brief, but big peak and Vengsarkar was pretty inconsistent outside that. His career average was less than 38 at the end of 1984 and his away average was less than 32 too. Viswanath was also a real htb and, with matches against weakened WSC era teams excluded his overall average drops below 40 too. Amarnath was good and Gavaskar was Gavaskar but India were generally carrying a couple of weaker players then too. I don't think it's clear cut on the top 5 or 6 even before considering depth.

 

[capt_Luffy]

That team had better individual batsmen; but it also had way too many passengers. The top 6 itself isn't really clear cut, but I would slightly favour them. Include the lower order depth with the likes of Jadeja, Ashwin and Axar; and this team is clearly better imo.

 

[Majestic]

I think it was more or less the same.

Gavaskar's best phase of his career was in 70s, his output in 80s was lesser than what it was in 70s. It can due to age or whatever reasons. He was at Kohli level.

Amarnath had a purple patch which was amazing and one of the very best of all-time. Outside that purple patch, he was simply pathetic. You can probably say, he was Rahane level. Rahane had amazing purple patch(2013-16) and produced one of the career defining series as captain in Down Under 2020-21 with a hundred in Melbourne at a time when team needed it the most from their captain.

Vengsarkar and Pujara were at same level. Both home bullies but performed in one country outside Asia each - Vengsarkar in England and Pujara in Australia.

Vishwanath was the player of 70s, not 80s.

Azharuddin debuted in 1985 also. Shastri was a decent all rounder too, probably a better batsman than Jadeja but ofcourse Jadeja is a bowling all rounder only.