India's remarkable home dominance in Test cricket was dramatically disrupted last year by New Zealand. Arjuna Ranatunga, the esteemed former captain of Sri Lanka, has expressed his belief that his 1996 World Cup-winning team, which triumphed in a tournament co-hosted by Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan, would have prevailed against Rohit Sharma's current squad in a Test match played in India.

He stated, “With bowlers like (Chaminda) Vaas and Murali (Muttiah Muralidaran), that team of mine would have beaten India in India in three days,” as reported by the Telegraph. The 1996 Sri Lankan team, which achieved a historic victory in the World Cup, featured legendary players such as Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Aravinda de Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Marvan Atapattu, among others.

India's defeat that shook the world

Historically, New Zealand has struggled as tourists in India, having never secured more than one Test victory during a tour, with their last win in the country dating back to November 1988. However, in a surprising turn of events, they managed to sweep Rohit's team 3-0 in October and November of the previous year, a result that reverberated globally. At the outset of the series, India was favoured to reach their third consecutive World Test Championship final. Ultimately, they found themselves among the unexpected casualties, and their subsequent loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia resulted in their first-ever absence from the WTC Final.

The outcome was particularly astonishing given that India had achieved a remarkable victory in the final Test of their preceding series against Bangladesh, despite facing two and a half days of rain interruptions. India posted an impressive 285/9 in under 35 overs, shattering numerous scoring records and delivering a resounding statement that suggested they were at their strongest at home.

This victory marked India's 18th consecutive Test series win on home soil, surpassing the previous record of 10, which was held by Australia during two separate periods: first from November 1994 to November 2000, and again from July 2004 to November 2008.

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