Three convincing wins out of three -- India's ODI performances in the ongoing series against England have been nothing short of tremendous.
India, after the first rained out encounter, won the second game by 133 runs, the third one by six wickets and the fourth ODI by nine wickets. Such has been the dominance of MS Dhoni's men that the England side have been made to look completely ordinary.
These dominating performances, especially outside the subcontinent, hold them in good stead for the 2015 World Cup, according to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar had lot of praise for Dhoni's men as he reckoned that the India side would definitely be in contention to win the most coveted trophy in one-day cricket.
"India is definitely among the strong contenders for the title. It is a well balanced side and is tough to beat," he told The Hindu.
For Tendulkar what stood out was the fact that the team had a lot of variety in different departments.
"It is a versatile ODI team. There is depth in batting and variety in bowling. And the fielding has been brilliant," he pointed out.
The presence of quite a few right-hand and left-hand batsmen in the India team could make life difficult for the opposing bowlers, the Little Master was of the opinion.
"If you look at batting, there is a good mix of the right and the left-handers. When a right-left combination is at the crease, it becomes a lot harder for the bowlers. They have to find the right line," he reckoned.
Tendulkar also believes the bowling lineup is looking pretty good for India. "In bowling, the Indians have been bowling well in partnerships. There are some good pace and spin options at different stages of the innings," he said.
Opening legend Sunil Gavaskar too was of the opinion that the Indian one-day outfit were looking outstanding at this point.
"In the three ODI matches that we have seen so far, England have been completely overwhelmed. India have had massive wins - 133 runs in the 1st ODI, then by 6 wickets and now by 9 wickets," Gavaskar told NDTV.
Gavaskar, however, added that the 3-1 defeat in the Test series should not be cast out of the fans' minds.
"Since India is going to play three Test matches against West Indies, four Test matches against Australia, you must not forget what has happened here in England," he warned.
