With a resurgent India gunning for glory, Australia's stranglehold as the numero uno Test playing nation is under threat, said former captain Sourav Ganguly.
According to him, Australia are not the same force since bowling greats Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne called it quits. So while the Aussies are still on top of the table, India is closing in on the gap, he said.
"Australia is still the No. 1 team in the world but I think we have a very good side that could be No. 1," Ganguly told Australian daily Herald Sun.
Ganguly believes India played better cricket throughout this summer and sounded confident of levelling the four-match series by winning the final Test in Adelaide.
"We have a side which has played better against Australia than any other side in the world, which is a good sign for us.
"To be honest, we have played better than them [this summer]. I don't want to talk about the past but I feel we were very unlucky not to win in Sydney," he said.
"We were happy to win in Perth and we think we can level the series," Ganguly added.
The left-hander, left out of India's ODI team for the tri-series that follows the Adelaide Test, is not sure if Australia's young attack could handle the pressure.
"They are finding out that players can't go on and play forever," he said.
"Obviously they have less experience now. Their young players need to step up," Ganguly said.
