But they did more than that. They made India unbeatable at home and by focussing on an aggressive fast-bowling driven approach, they made India a threat in all conditions. If the hosts gave them a green top, they were risking defeat as well. Since 2017, India’s pacers have taken 763 wickets at an average of 25.15 —better than what bowlers from England and Australia have managed. At 23.55, only South Africa, who play in exceptionally seamer-friendly conditions, have a better average.

This shift was down to an all-new approach — one that emphasised intent, aggressive body language and focused on winning matches rather than individual milestones. It worked and made India an exciting team to watch regardless of where they were playing. The age-old reliance on batting was done away with as well.

But a transition is never easy to manage. It takes time for a group to understand each other; to have each other’s back and finds ways to complement each other. In his time as coach, Rahul Dravid managed to keep the older stars performing. That’s not happening anymore so till he rebuilds the team’s core, current coach Gautam Gambhir will need to find a balance between blooding new talent and staying competitive.

And with that in mind, Gambhir has asked for patience and honesty. “See, I’ll tell you one thing,” he said here on Thursday. “I think Indian cricket will always be in safe hands till the time you’ve got honest people sitting in that room. And honesty is the most important thing for any transition. And it is not about phasing out senior players or getting the youngsters in.

“Ultimately, the only thing that can keep you in that dressing room is the performance. And it starts from all of us. Not only from the players, from the coaches as well. The kind of talent there is in Indian cricket, I think we will always be in safe hands. Yes, there’ll be times when we might not get the results. There’ll be times where we will have to be patient.”

Talent has never been a problem for Indian cricket — especially not now. In a different era, scouting was an issue. But now with the Indian Premier League (IPL) and other franchise competitions, there has been a steady flow of new players. It really has become more about giving them the right pathway.

Legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath, who has worked with the MRF Pace Foundation for the last 12 years, agrees.

“India and its 1.4 billion people have an absolute passion and love for the game of cricket,” said McGrath. “So, cricket’s part of their culture now. Any spare bit of land, they’re playing cricket. And I see the passion they have, working with them around the Pace Foundation. There’s no shortage of young players there coming through, not just bowlers.”

Because of the results the team has had over the past decade, India’s young players see things in a different light. They don’t know the fears of the previous generation. Rather, they are only inspired by the achievements and their own personal need to top them.

“It’s a different attitude these youngsters have, isn’t it? They don’t seem to have any fear. They go out and they play. And that’s what I love,” said McGrath. “I love seeing sports people perform without fear. You know, we’ve seen young Sam Konstas as well go out there and that’s what we want to see.”

But young cricketers will need time to find their feet at the highest level and this is what BCCI president Roger Binny had warned about after the T20 World Cup win. Gambhir also realises the need to be supportive.

“Rather than only criticising the young players.. I think we’ve got to give them time to develop as well. They’ll end up becoming world-class players as well. And that is what is important,” he said.

And for that to happen, he hopes that the entire country can get behind them.

“It is the role of not only the support staff, but the media as well,” said Gambhir. “Instead of only criticising them, you can try and help them out as well. Transition is not only for us. Transition happens for the entire country. And all of us are in it together.”