Is this India Test side as good as the teams that conquered Australia in 2019 and 2021?

India are the talk of the cricketing world after falling to New Zealand by eight wickets in the first Test in Bangalore.

The home side was bowled out for 46 in the first innings against the Kiwis and while they responded with 462 in the second innings, it wasn’t enough as they only set the Blackcaps a target of 107 to win, which they did losing just two wickets.

India will hope to get back to winning ways with two more Tests against New Zealand in the next fortnight before they head over to Australia for a five-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy which begins in Perth in late November.

While India aren’t in the best form ahead of their tour down under SEN Cricket’s Adam White won’t be reading too much into the Bangalore result due to the conditions India were presented with in their first dig.

“They were very unlucky in the sense that they had to bat when it was really difficult,” White said on SEN Afternoons.

“There'd been a lot of rain, so when they finally got on the pitch was a bit skatey, it was knifing around all over the place, so it was really hard to bat.

“Then by the time New Zealand got out to bat, conditions had improved quite rapidly and it was much easier, and we saw that with the way India batted in its second innings.

“I wouldn't read too much into that.”

Although White isn’t doubting India off one poor performance, he does think that the side is weaker than the Indian outfits that claimed Test series victories in Australia in both the 2018/19 season and 2020-21 summer.

While there are big veteran names still in the Indian line-up like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, he isn’t sure whether that trio will be as dominant as they have been previously.

He thinks that a lot of India’s hopes will instead rest on the shoulders of youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan, both who have never played Test cricket in Australia.

“I don't think India will be coming to Australia as good as they were four years ago,” White said.

“That’s just by virtue of the fact that you look at a couple of the senior players that have given Australia problems in the past, they're either not in the team or not the players they were.

“Look at Steve Smith how he’s not the player he once was, well Virat Kohli isn’t the same player he was eight or four years ago.

“It's more these young Indian players that we haven't seen play in Australian conditions with the bat to see how they go first up here.

“I think that will probably determine the series more than anything else because I think both batting lineups are not as strong as what they've been in the past.”

The first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy begins at Perth’s Optus Stadium on November 22.