Right from the time the Hero Honda 7-match marathon began, it was billed as THE series that'd decide the numero uno team of international ODI cricket.
And for good reason too, since an Indian victory in this series would've seen them pip Australia to the altar of the ICC ODI rankings.
However, even before the final match of the series, the verdict has been made crystal clear. It's time to acknowledge that we still have a long way to go before claiming the #1 spot for good.
And I say this, not just because a statistic says 4-2 before the last match. I say this because this statistic has been made possible, not only inspite of new full-strength Indian team (playing in home conditions), but also inspite of an almost completely second-string Aussie line-up.
Here are some clear pointers to this:
1. We harped a lot on missing Yuvi, Zak, and Viru during the Champions Trophy. While there is no questioning the sheer talent and value of these cricketers, I hope we remember just how many first-choice players did not make it to the Australian line-up to even start with, and how many left midway through the tour. If Brad Haddin had been consistently impressive as a wk and batter, Time Paine did nothing wrong to harm his credentials when he got the opportunity with this tour. But if you thought Paine in pain was too much even for the Aussie bench strength, you got Graham Manou! Another reminder about the sheer depth and quality of Australian cricket.
2. With the exception of Australia, India is unarguably the toughest place to tour for any team. Well, it came true to every word - yes, the only exception is Australia, and in 'any team', let's include India itself! Coz our team found it too tough to play well enough against the Aussies even in home conditions! Mohali and Guwahati seemed alien to them and one got the feeling that we were not sure of how to pace our innings and understand our conditions on home territory. On the other hand, Australia capitalised on whatever was thrown at them, and almost fashioned a win at the dustbowl known as Kotla, but for Yuvi and MSD.
3. It was a 7-match series: This series win is not a short series. A marathon winner is held in higher esteem than a 100-m dasher, just as a Test century is dearer than a quickfire ODI century/T20 knock. Similarly, there cannot be a more telling indicator than the fact that this was a 7-match series win against a nearly full-strength Indian team, in India, by a consistently depleted, injury-ridden visiting team.
So hold your horses for the moment, fellow Indian team fans - we cannot claim ourselves to be better than all - not just yet. Amidst our disappointment and frustration, let's pause and give credit where it's due - to an amazing Australian outfit that has won a tough series against a tough team in alien conditions before going into the last match. Well done guys, and you deserve the first rank - well, for now, that is!
Moral of the story: It's a long way to go, Team India - atleast till the time we can beat Australia in Australia despite missing player after player from the original squad.
Team India: Jaago re, jaago re, jaago....re!!!
