The most elevating aspect of India's winning the triseries without a 'decider' being required was that it came from outplaying the Australians in authentic cricketing manner.

With the great Sachin Tendulkar opting to sign off his Down Under days by striking the brand of ODI-form that had eluded him on previous tours and Robin Uthappa eventually being promoted to join him at the top of the order, the Indian batting got the start that determined the course of the two matches that counted most.

Those who had contended that Sachin's innings in the shorter version of the game was drawing to a close were proved embarrassingly wrong, for at both Sydney and Brisbane it was the veteran who set the winning stage. And what can one say of the younger Indian quick bowlers.

First Ishant Sharma came so good that the departure of Zaheer Khan and RP Singh did not prove catastrophic, and then when Ishant went on the sick-list Praveen Kumar assumed the role of spearhead.

What has become a distant memory are the times when an ML Jaisimha or Tiger Pataudi were drafted to 'take the shine off the ball'. The record book may have heavily favoured the home side in a best-of-three final but it was completely rewritten to the discomfort of Aussies on and off the field.

Victory is supposed to taste sweet, but so bitter has this tour been that winning the ODI series at best vindicates the Indians' claim that they have been more sinned against than sinning, make no mistake about it, they sinned too.

Yet their victory, or the Aussie defeat to be accurate, ought to deflate some of the arrogance that Ponting & Co. (perhaps their immediate predecessors too) got away with simply because they had winning ways.

When not backed up by performance in the field, the difference between sledging and unsporting abuse wears thin. The Australians have never taken defeat kindly, nor have they been so counter-punched in that sad aspect of contemporary cricket (sledging).

Hopefully they will have learnt a lesson, hopefully the Indians have also learnt that it is with bat and ball that cricketing prowess is best projected.

Is this the beginning of the end of Australian dominance? The winning streak in Tests has been halted, now they have faced defeat in ODIs.

Teams all around the world will now be inclined to believe that the Aussies are beatable, grow in self-esteem and confidence. If India?s winning the triseries does set off a chain reaction the boys in blue ought to thank their sub-continental mates who wear a darker shade of that hue.

It was Sri Lanka winning that dead rubber that sent the Aussies on their losing way.