Sunil Gavaskar: Certainly. India lost by an innings in four days and there was no real time between the two Test matches to recover from such a loss, because often there is a three-day game or a four-day game where the out of form players can pick themselves up and try and get some kind of form.

But that did not happen and India were still reeling a little bit and therefore to come down here with all the talk about the pitch the Eden Gardens could provide and then to play in the manner in which they did, bowl in the manner they did, bat in the manner they did, it showed plenty of character on the team's part and many congratulations to them to bring out this.

CNN-IBN: Do you believe that India deserve to be the No.1 Test team. Because many former players like Ian Chappell recently have questioned India's No. 1 ranking.

Sunil Gavaskar: Well you see, I think we need to win overseas, we need to beat Australia in Australia, we need to beat South Africa in South Africa, we need to beat England and New Zealand like we beat them last year.

But Australia and South Africa are the two major teams we have to win in their grounds. When that happens, then I think we really will be the number one team. But right now we are No. 1 by the rankings.

CNN-IBN: Are you saying that even if statistically India are number one, it's not legitimate right now to call ourselves the best team?

Sunil Gavaskar: No. I wouldn't go that way because after all the rankings reflect the standings of the team. So I wouldn't say that, but I know that the team itself would feel that they are the number one team when they beat Australia in Australia, when they beat South Africa in South Africa.

But don't mistake me for a moment. This is a great time for Indian cricket because we are winning in a situation like this.

So absolutely brilliant the way they played, but I think they themselves, you know as cricketers you realise that when you score a hundred in limited overs cricket and then you score a hundred in a Test, the hundred in a Test is much more valuable whether you score it at home or overseas. And I think that's the kind of feeling the team will have.

CNN-IBN: Tendulkar has made four hundreds in four Tests, do you think like wine he's just getting better with age?

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Sunil Gavaskar: Yes. I think the blend at the moment between experience and skill is perfect. Because you use the wine terminology I am saying the blend is absolutely perfect. He is bringing all his experience into play.

We all know about the skills that he has, but the experience, the way he is working the ones and the twos, the occasional boundary, not taking too many risks, but a century is assured. And I think that is fascinating to watch.

CNN-IBN: Along with Tendulkar, there's Virender Sehwag. He's scored another hundred at almost a run-a-ball. Do you think Sehwag's name deserves to be up there now as an all-time Indian great, perhaps the best Indian opener since you yourself?

Sunil Gavaskar: He is an all-time great. Nobody scores at the rate at which he scores, nobody puts fear in the hearts and the minds of the opposition bowlers as Virender Sehwag does.

And for that itself, because what he does, he gets a hundred, he makes it easy for the batsmen to follow, because the bowlers and the fielding captain are already demoralised by the assault they have just had from Virender Sehwag. So in that aspect he is the most destructive batsman that we have seen in Test cricket.

CNN-IBN: How would you respond to those who say that India's bowling is still not good enough to be No. 1? Do you think that's India's weakness?

Sunil Gavaskar: This pitch there was no help for the bowlers. It was a very good batting pitch. Those who were prepared to bend their back and get the ball to bounce up a little bit - they got some rewards. Zaheer Khan did that, he again used his experience and the skills he had to pick up those wickets.

Ishant bowled really well without showing too many wickets for his efforts. So on a pitch which was not a typical Indian pitch, for India to win, I think it shows that India has the pulling ability, capability to win anywhere else.

It's just that we haven't played too many overseas Tests at this particular point of time. The last time we played overseas was in New Zealand and we beat them at home.

CNN-IBN: What to you was the image of the series? Was it Amla's batting? What stood out for you in this series?

Sunil Gavaskar: I think yes, Hashim Amla's batting was the standout point as far this series was concerned because very rarely has one seen a batsman in so much control of the situation than we saw Hashim Amla. All the time he came into bat he was solidly behind. You actually had to find a different ball, a special ball to get him out.

CNN-IBN: Amla reminded of Sunil Gavaskar, calm and concentrated, the oriental monk touch!

Sunil Gavaskar: Maybe more like Geoffrey Boycott, I think Boycott's powers of concentration.