Team India not only won the ODI series against England but also recaptured the number one ranking in that format after a very long gap. There is no denying that times have been so bad that a series victory looks much better than it should. India has beaten England so often in home ODIs that normally this win would have meant little.
Considering England was displaced as No. 1 by India adds to the sense of achievement of Dhoni and company.
Last year proved so disastrous that there were genuine fears over any sort of quick recovery by Team India. Now, with just two years to go for the ODI World Cup, the champion can make genuine plans for the defence of one of two most prestigious World Cups in the game. The team was also able to get over the retirement of the estimable Sachin Tendulkar, easily the world’s most productive ODI batsman, besides winning the series without heavyweight opener Virender Sehwag.
While the chasing of limited-overs dreams are most necessary in the modern era with its emphasis on popular cricket that takes less time to produce a positive result, India cannot lose sight of the Test match format that pleases the aesthete a lot more and has a special place in the product mix that reaches the consumer as sporting entertainment in the era of saturated television coverage.