TBH the t-72 is kindof overrated. There is no way of knowing if it would have been good in its day, perhaps it would have been, but it seems pretty profoundly mediocre in its latter years when it was actually seriously used (generally speaking either an inferior export variant or it was out of time and place)
We know it was good in its day; that's just a blatantly self-evident reality. When the T-72 entered service in 1973, it was by far the most technically capable MBT (behind its older brother, the T-64). Everything else was situational and heavily favored the T-72.
The opposition for T-72s would be the M60A1 (AOS), Chieftain MK3, the Leopard 1A2, AMX-30B, or STRV 103B. All of these tanks were APFDS or HEATFS slingers, none of which could handle a T-72 frontally, perhaps with the sole exception of the Chieftain and the 120MM L11. Inversely, the T-72 had 3BM9 APFSDS, which was more than capable of frontally penetrating every single tank listed (potentially except an STRV 103 at a poor angle, but even then, I wouldn't want to be in one).
The fire control system on the T-72 wasn't as good as the T-64, and arguably worse than some other tanks of the era, but it was still good enough to put rounds on target at a comparable rate. And again, the rounds the T-72 had access to would easily punch through, whereas return fire was unlikely to do so.
The reality is the USSR had a shitload of low-profile MBTs with fire-control systems capable of keeping pace with their western counterparts, a better gun, armor package, and profile. The only tank the west had that could maybe deal with it frontally was the Chieftain, but unfortunately, it's British, so it's too busy being broken down to ever actually do anything.
This entire scenario gets worse if you run it in 1966 with the T-64, by the way, even including the unreliable 5TDF. The USSR wouldn't get put behind until ammunition designed specifically to counteract the T-72/T-64 began being produced in the mid-70s for the 105MM L7 (M60S/Leo1s), and they weren't really put fully behind until the Leo 2/Abrams in 1979 and 1980, respectively. For a solid decade, they were the country that had it all. (At least pertaining to MBTs)
Arguing that it's "mediocre" because old export variants or dated variants saw combat 30 years after they were built, in the hands of 75 IQ Hajis who didn’t do well, is completely asinine, and nobody judges any other tank by that standard. It's like decreeing the Leopard 2 is bad because a first-generation model from 1979 would do poorly on a modern battlefield.
