India above South Africa, Australia: NZ coach
Posted on Feb 23, 2009 at 11:22 | Updated Feb 23, 2009 at 14:00
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Christchurch: New Zealand coach Andy Moles and middle-order batsman Ross Taylor consider India above South Africa and Australia and feel Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team should be rated number one in the world for their consistent performance over a period of time.
India defeated Australia in the Test series and followed it up with another triumph against England in both Tests and one-dayers.
They carried on the good work with a 4-1 victory in Sri Lanka. India are currently on a roll and though they may not have won in New Zealand in 41 years, Dhoni's team has the ability to put the record straight.
"I think in all facets they are the number one team in the world. You look at the way they have played over the last 18 months, they have gone round the world and at home and they have played very, very good cricket," said Moles.
India's dismal away record had very little significance for the New Zealand coach.
The last time India toured here they lost both the Test and one-day series but Moles feels with the talent and experience at India's disposal, they would prove to be difficult.
"They have got some very experienced players and they are obviously coached really well," said Moles.
Taylor agreed with his coach.
"If you look at their performance over the last year and a half, I think they have done wonderfully well in all forms of the game," he said.
"They have beaten Australia at home (2-0) and beat Sri Lanka by a big margin recently. They have some exciting players who have performed consistently," said Taylor, who is the in-form batsman for New Zealand and shone in the recent one-day series against Australia that ended 2-2.
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