By the end of 2019, India will judge themselves on more than their triumphant tour of Australia and New Zealand. Their current rich vein of form will no doubt imbue them with the confidence to almost feel disappointed if they don't finish 2019 with at least one global trophy to their name, The World Cup in England and the T20 World Cup in Australia should hold no fears for them because they have finally put together a squad that can handle pace bowling, can dish out some heat of their own and they are no longer liabilities in the field.

But before we look too far ahead, it is important to acknowledge the magnitude of what they have achieved Down Under these last few months. Retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy should never be under-estimated, even if the World Cup dreams go up in smoke. What they achieved here was a sign of things to come. Fearless and bold, they have now exorcised some demons. Winning away from home is no longer a fluke. India have the batsmen to handle these pitches, the bowlers who can meet fire with fire and the mindset that they can mix it with the home teams. A Test series win in South Africa is their next challenge but it is no longer Everest. It will be their Kilimanjaro moment, an epic mountain that cannot be taken lightly but it is not mission impossible. So long as they don't become so arrogant and out of touch that they forget the lessons that Australia still fail to heed.