India's attitude to achieving excellence should be copied by ambitious teams: Chappell

Australian great Ian Chappell says India's attitude towards achieving excellence should be copied by the ambitious cricket nations for the well-being of the Test format.

In the wake of their 3-0 whitewash of South Africa in a Test series recently, the former Australian captain called India the envy of world cricket.

Leaving aside India, England and Australia, he has expressed concerns over the decline of other Test-playing nations such as South Africa and Sri Lanka.

"If Test cricket is to be a viable part of the game's future, the standard of play needs to remain high. Whilst it's true India - with a large talent pool, unlimited finances and the IPL - has a huge advantage, it's their attitude towards achieving excellence that should be copied by any team with an ambition to be the best," Chappell wrote in his column for 'ESPNcricinfo'.

India blanked South Africa despite missing their premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, consolidating their position at the top of the ICC Test Championship standings.

He said the Indian pace attack is now equipped to shine in all conditions across the world.

Bumrah, when fit, the indefatigable Mohammed Shami, the vastly improved Ishant Sharma, and the pacy Umesh Yadav give India a quartet of fast bowlers that demand respect in all conditions.

"These pace spearheads, added to India's always capable spinners, give the attack a potency that not too many other countries can match," Chappell said.

The legendary batsman added, "Slot a fit seam-bowling allrounder in Hardik Pandya into that group and India are more than adequately placed to cope with any conditions they encounter.

"A well-balanced bowling attack is the perfect antidote to any attempt to provide conditions that heavily favour the home side."
At series' end Kohli provided a telling quote: "We've wanted to be the best team in Test cricket. As long as we keep working with honest intent, those things will follow."
As well as being an excellent cricketer, Kohli is also a smart one and that phrase "honest intent" should be a wake-up call to other Test nations. That is where the bad news kicks in: the overall standard of play in Test cricket."