India’s overseas record was far from great when Dilip Doshi was a part of the squad, from 1979-83.

But the former slow left-arm orthodox spinner refuses to buy the idea of head coach Ravi Shastri, who had claimed that the current unit is the best-ever travelling side just because it won Test series in Sri Lanka, the West Indies and Australia.

“He (Ravi) shouldn’t have said that. It’s unnecessary to compare. Yeah, this is a good Indian team, but I don’t think it’s extraordinary.

“I would call it extraordinary only if it wins tough overseas series. Winning at home is good, but it’s not a huge thing. In Bengali, we say ‘Bepaaraay giye mastaani’ (to show your strength outside your area). But where have they done that?” Doshi, here as a special guest for the Saurashtra-Bengal Ranji Trophy final, asked.

The septuagenarian had represented both Bengal and Saurashtra apart from playing for Counties like Hertfordshire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Doshi also pointed out India’s inability to dismiss New Zealand’s lower order cheaply in the Test series, which they lost 0-2.

“Going to England (in 2018), they lost 1-4 when they should have won that series. In New Zealand, the lower-order batsmen were scoring against you. So how are you a top team?” he asked. “Yes, this team does have the potential to improve.”

Dropping Wriddhiman Saha for the New Zealand Tests also didn’t go down well with Doshi. “Wriddhiman has been, in my opinion, India’s best wicketkeeper in the last 10 years. He is a very useful batsman too. He has Test centuries.

“I would not even write (Rishabh) Pant’s name on the page that features Wriddhiman as the wicketkeeper, so not giving him a chance is wrong.”