New Delhi: Team India have been at the top of ICC Test rankings for quite some time, but are they truly the best team in the world? Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke is of the opinion that Virat Kohli and his men still have to beat Australia, England and South Africa in their respective homes to be called the best team.
In an interview with NDTV, Clarke lauded Kohli saying he truly is aware of the challenges that lie ahead for his team, and he is preparing the team for that.
"The Indian team right now is full of confidence and the upcoming tour for Australia is going to be tough. This tour will be a great challenge for Australia as India, at the moment, are playing very well," said the former Aussie skipper.
"Obviously the Australian supporters expect their team to be best in the world. But, India are ticking all the right boxes under the captaincy of Virat Kohli."
"He wants to win and doesn't want to take a step back. He knows how tough the next four months of cricket are. He is preparing his team for that."
"If India can beat South Africa, Australia and England at away conditions, there will be no doubt that India is the number one team in the world," Clarke added.
Clarke, also reflected on the start of this change in approach of the Indian team, which according to him started with Sourav Ganguly at helm, while Kohli, MS Dhoni and Anil Kumble continued the aggression in their play.
Earlier, Mike Hussey had drawn similarities between the captaincy styles of Kohli and Ricky Ponting, Clarke on the other hand, refused to compare the two.
"I have never played under Virat so cannot compare them. However, Virat would not want to be compared to anybody. He has his own style."
Team India are presently enjoying a short break after the conclusion of the Test series against Sri Lanka, but will be back on pitch on August 20 when the ODI series starts in Dambulla.
