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Team India went 12 years without losing a Test match on home soil, until the streak was brutally ended by New Zealand in October 2024. In recent months, India have suffered a drastic dip in form in Test cricket, going on to lose 0-3 at home to New Zealand and then 1-3 away against Australia. In light of the situation, Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga has stated the current Indian side would be easy pickings for that great Sri Lankan side, to the extent that India would lose inside three days at home.
Ranatunga was bullish that the present Indian batting lineup would not be able to cope against the likes of Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan in their prime.
"With bowlers like (Chaminda) Vaas and Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan), that team of mine would have beaten India in India in three days," said Ranatunga, speaking to The Telegraph.
India's sudden downfall in form in the longest format has led to questions being raised against the management led by Gautam Gambhir as well as the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
What has also come under scrutiny has been India's batting, in particular the form of stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who both averaged in the 20s in Test cricket in 2024.
Ranatunga also said that the current Sri Lanka side is nearly as good as the Sri Lanka teams of his generation.
"There is no dearth of talent even in this current Sri Lankan team. Overall, it's a pretty talented lot. Looking back at the 1996 team, only Aravinda (De Silva) was a few notches above the present team players," Ranatunga said.
"The actual problem lies within the SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket board). The management of the board is corrupt, which is the root cause of all problems," he said.
While India slipped out of contention for the World Test Championship (WTC) final due to the two devastating series defeats, Sri Lanka were comprehensively outclassed by South Africa and Australia in their final four Test matches. They ended up sixth in the points table.
Ranatunga also had a piece of advice for Virat Kohli to regain lost form.
"I think what Kohli needs to do is speak to people like Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar or a Rahul Dravid. That's what he can do. They can certainly help him out," Ranatunga suggested.
India will play the Champions Trophy 2025 starting February 19. Sri Lanka failed to qualify after finishing ninth in the 2023 World Cup table.