The 2008 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be remembered for many things. Indian cricket bid farewell to two legends - Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble. Ishant Sharma staked his claim to be considered as the best bowler in the world by becoming the first Indian bowler to win a Man-of-the-Series award at home in 25 years. Gautam Gambhir repaid the selectors’ faith in him by scoring over 400 runs and becoming the leading run scorer in the series. MS Dhoni proved that he is the man to guide Indian cricket into a new era. However, I believe that this series holds even greater importance when examined from a global standpoint. This series signals the end of Australia as the dominant team of our era. And there are two ways of looking at this. On one hand, things are going to be much more balanced now with teams like India, South Africa and England all challenging Australia to be the best team in the world. On the other hand, there is no doubt that standards have fallen. The current Australian team can’t hold a candle to Steve Waugh’s Untouchables who won a world record 16 tests in a row.

For India, this series could very well prove to be the beginning of something big. India now has a settled opening pair in Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. Both players know each other well as they open in all three forms of the game and also for Delhi in the IPL. It is also hard to believe that a country which has never been known for producing fast bowlers, now has a stockpile of world class performers. Zaheer Khan is finally displaying the maturity that he requires to lead the attack. Ishant Sharma established himself as one of the leading bowlers in cricket today. The most impressive thing about Ishant Sharma’s rise to the top has been his willingness to learn and ability to adapt. Both Ishant and Zaheer can’t afford to be complacent as they have the likes of RP Singh, Munaf Patel and Sreesanth waiting in the wings. Amit Mishra bowled intelligently and can now be considered Kumble’s successor.

Even the experienced players stepped up to the plate. Harbhajan Singh rediscovered his bowling form but more importantly, he conveyed a sense of joy while playing his cricket. This was something that was missing from his cricket over the last couple of years. All that is needed now is for Harbhajan to display the maturity that is befitting of him as the leading spinner. Sachin Tendulkar, too, showed how much he can still offer the Indian team at the age of 35.

The only real cause for concern was the dismal form of Rahul Dravid. Dravid only managed to score 120 runs at an abysmal average of 17. Besides the poor numbers, Dravid looked mentally frail and alarmingly unfocused. The selectors should consider giving him a rest so he can regain his confidence. MS Dhoni impressed greatly with his captaincy and even had a decent series with the bat. It is no coincidence that India won both the games that Dhoni captained. The most striking feature of Dhoni is his poise - nothing ever seems to rattle him and he also displays great equanimity when dealing with either success or failure. Dhoni must also be commended for his remarkable gesture when he allowed Sourav Ganguly to captain the team one last time. It showed his sense of occasion and maturity as he saw no need to bask in the limelight.

Looking ahead, I hope this series serves as a platform for the Indian team. The batting looks settled with the exception of Rahul Dravid, and India’s bowling attack is varied and effective. The only glaring weakness is the absence of a world class all rounder. Indian cricket has never been in better health. There is no denying that the past has been filled with false dawns . But one gets the feeling that with Dhoni as the leader, India may well be in prime position to capture Australia’s #1 spot.

Photo Courtesy: ali_pk

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