A 100 per cent win record against Australia - in any format - deserves hosannas. This young Indian team has done it twice in as many occasions in T20 cricket.

What is fascinating though is not the win; it is how different the T20 team looks from the one-day unit that features many of the same young players - the T20 stars are far more aggressive, assertive, assured… almost arrogant in their wins.

There is a sense of déjà vu right now, for we started the just concluded series against the Aussies on this same celebratory note, i.e., by applauding our heroes. But a lot has happened in between. We look at some issues.

Reality check

India were thumped in the ODI series and the scoreline would have been worse had the Bangalore game not been washed out. So perhaps it's time we dispense with the hullabaloo about precocious finds and do some straight talking.

The Wankhede ODI was only the first time India beat Oz batting second since 1998. It was a game that needed the bowlers to bat and a dead rubber. Yes, a win is a win. But nine years is an impossibly long time in sport to record a win, especially for a team like India with such a formidable batting line-up. It's not a pretty statistic. Nor is India's one-day record over the past year.

Is three a crowd?

There's also been a lot of unnecessary chitchat about the Big Three and their utility to the one-day squad. But Tendulkar returned the highest run getter for the third successive series, Ganguly has barely put a foot wrong since his comeback and Dravid, barring this series, has been India's most consistent bat for the past five years, if not more.

Yuvraj also seems to finally be discovering his immense talent. So who do India have apart from these four?

The inheritors

Dhoni is skipper but how he juggles the captaincy, the wicket-keeping and his batting will be severely tested in Australia.

Uthappa has impressed with his aggressive strokeplay and apparent calm but whether he has the temperament to go on and get a really big one regularly is something we have to wait and see.

Gambhir, again, has done outstandingly in the T20 games, but despite some good-looking knocks, has struggled to take that consistency into the longer format against stronger teams.

Dinesh Karthik was dubbed India's great hope but has to guard against being just a hope. He has done well as a Test opener but despite batting high up in the other two formats, has failed to make a mark. Both Uthappa and Karthik will get you a good 40-50 on their day but a fifty doesn't win you the game (not when you're batting in the top four).