The Indian cricket fraternity warned Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men that staying at the summit is always tougher than reaching there.
The Indian cricket fraternity today hailed the team's elevation to the top of the Test rankings but warned Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men that staying at the summit is always tougher than reaching there.
India beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 24 runs to clinch the three-match series 2-0 and top the ICC rankings for the first time since its 2003 inception.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar led the tribute but also reminded the contributions of former captains Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble in making the side a formidable outfit.
"Players like Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble made a lot of contribution. They are the guys who moulded the team. Their teammates imbibed fighting qualities from the Gangulys and Kumbles," Gavaskar said.
Individually, Gavaskar reckoned, Sachin Tendulkar would cherish the feat more than anyone else.
"I think Sachin was probably dying for this day. He started in 1989 and has completed 20 years in international cricket. He missed out on a World Cup when India lost the final in 2007.
"Now this is a big moment for him. I would think this is as big as all his personal records," Gavaskar said.
According to him, reaching the top was hard but staying there would be even harder.
"Getting to number one is hard work. But they would have to work harder to stay there because others would try to knock them off the pedestal. They would have to be lot more consistent but it's not beyond them. They have got the skills and talent and it's application which is not always 100 percent," Gavaskar explained.
Asked if there was any area which India needed to address, Gavaskar said, "We still don't have regular opening pair of bowlers. (S) Sreesanth is back, Zaheer (Khan) remains the spearhead and Ishant (Sharma) hopefully will be able to
regain his spark and I hope he returns to form soon. If that happens, it would be good for India to have three new ball bowlers who can bowl well abroad.
"In the spin department, (Pragyan) Ojha had a good debut series and Harbhajan (Singh) is also taking wickets," he said.
Asserting that India have to have a strong bench strength, Gavaskar said, "I believe bench strength is the true indicator of a team's potentials. In the spin department, you have Amit Mishra too but I don't see a top class off-spinner or a left-arm spinner on the horizon."
Like Gavaskar, former captain and now chief selector K Srikkanth also paid rich tributes to former captains Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble, saying they did an excellent job.
"Anil Kumble led the side ably and did a great job after Rahul Dravid had relinquished captaincy. As a bowler, I don't need to comment on his performance."
"At the same time, you have to remember Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly was an attacking captain right from the start and even in his last series against Australia, his contribution with the bat was crucial for the team," Srikkanth said.
Former spinner Bishan Singh Bedi said it was a proud moment in Indian cricket and said Dhoni has been lucky to have proven match winners like Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan in the side.
"Congratulations to all members of Team India for their superb performance. They have made it possible. It has taken a long time for them. Right now, it's a proud moment to cherish and not look at the shortcomings," he said.
"I would like to credit people like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag. They are the people like who have really combined the unit. They have really filled the gap. Dhoni to my mind is very lucky man to have all these greats under his command," he said.
"Definitely they can beat South Africa and Australia at their own home-turf," he added.
Former spinner EAS Prasanna said the team needs to build on the recent success.
"It is a wonderful victory. It is gratifying to witness a great effort by the team especially since it's coming for the first time in the history. There is going to be added pressure on the team now. We need to do lot of home work now on to sustain that position with the knowledge that other countries are also developing faster," he said.
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