Is India's demolition of Australia a sign of things to come?

Indians basked in rediscovered pride in their cricketers after Virat Kohli and KL Rahul inspired a thumping victory over Australia in front of a full-house at Chepauk.

It was, I dare say, less fever and more fast-forward on Sunday night, the manner in which the Indian top-order floundered against pace and wickets tumbled on a favourable pitch. But the Blue Army were all smiles in the end. Unburdened by their past failures in the same format against the same opponents, India truly laid bare their more ‘fancied' limited-over rivals in the sultry Chennai heat.

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Coach Rahul Dravid's men couldn't have dreamt of a more satisfying start to their World Cup campaign. Three early wickets saw them teeter at the start of their reply before Kohli and Rahul looked to be steadying the innings. The pair, far from being cowed by Australia's early breakthrough, shared in a 165-run stand to lead India out of peril.

Before the implacable Kohli-Rahul unleashed their venom on the Aussies, spin expert Ravindra Jadeja produced a telling burst of three for 28 in 10 overs and received fine support from Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, who took two wickets apiece, as the Aussies folded for 199 in 49.3 overs in what was their historic 150th ODI meeting with India.

Jasprit Bumrah, incredibly consistent on any surface, handed hosts the impetus by trapping Mitchell Marsh for a six-ball duck. The implosion had taken its course way earlier, as veteran David Warner and Steve Smith batted with evident fear on a pitch where hitting through the line only meant trouble. A cunning Rohit Sharma made best use of the situation and put his spinners to work without much ado. However, there was a resistance that might not be remembered in the larger scheme of things, with Warner and Smith adding a commendable 69 runs, making India wait a good 13 overs to scalp their second wicket.

It was a nervy stay in the middle, marked by, at times, desperate running, but runs did not seem to come easily on the bat. In all, there were nearly 29 overs worth dot balls by India, but perhaps it could all have been different had Pat Cummins and Co. held on to their chances. The Indian spinners collectively bowled 101 dot balls and Australia could do little about it.

The ever-dependable Jadeja, who knows the pitch like the back of his hand, became the lethal ingredient in Rohit's persistent formula of setting his spinners after Aussie batters on Chennai's turning tracks. And it instantly paid off. In fact, the menacing all-rounder Jadeja exploited the ‘corridor of uncertainty' to a great effect as he hit the same spot with virtually every ball, with tension brewing in the Australian dugout. His effortless attempts at luring batters out of the safety of the crease with a vicious web of left-arm spin mastery was nonetheless a sight to behold!

The gears shifted a little later after Australian speedsters came out all guns blazing to rattle the triumvirate of Rohit, Shreyas Iyer, and Ishan Kishan. While left-arm quick Mitchell Starc broke India's back by sending Ishan back for a duck in the very first over, Josh Hazlewood struck twice in the next to trap Rohit lbw for nought and then caught Iyer at cover to send the home crowd into sombre silence. The extremely proportionate Hazlewood nearly made it four down when he got Kohli, batting on 12, to top-edge a delivery only for Mitchell Marsh to drop a skier. The drop had about it the feel of a match-turning moment. Soon after, Kohli finally opened up and with solid help from Rahul, saw his side snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Australia have long since been so flat on a cricket field. Their cool, calm veneer, so evident otherwise, was oddly absent. Perhaps they thought it would be easy, another routine win over India after the 66-run consolation win in Rajkot nearly a week ago? It was a collapse of mammoth proportions as they were flummoxed by the skill and guile of the deadly spinners from India.

However, their stranglehold was also, thanks to a superb batting display set up by Kohli and Rahul, the latter smashing eight boundaries and two sixes in an typically rapid-fire innings of 97 not out off 115 balls. Ably supported by their bowling talents, the Indian middle-order made the tricky 200-run target seem like a cakewalk on a testing track although they took 41.2 overs to achieve it.

But what does this triumph mean in the wider context of international cricket? Is India as good as Australia made them look? India's strength in depth is tremendous, with a massive stock of bowlers to call upon should anyone fall short of form. They have young spinners in Kuldeep and Axar Patel vying for a place, although the latter has been sidelined by injury, with none sure of a regular spot in the side. This competition for selection stifles complacency and encourages quality performances.

However, Australia's uncharacteristically dismal campaign in the opener will haunt them more than one can imagine. As captain Cummins was quoted as saying in the post-match press conference, "facing the spinners was tough and it was the kind of wicket you had to get yourself in," while also admitting his team had been ‘50 runs short'. His bowlers, always likely to be his strength, failed to remain frugal in their defence of a modest 200. Besides erroneous bowling and sloppy fielding, questions have swirled around their batting and not all of them were answered satisfactorily.

You can nevertheless expect them not to be so forgiving next time. They will meet South Africa in Lucknow on Thursday. Having lost both ODI series to South Africa and India only a month ago, a comfortable win in Rajkot and a mammoth score against Pakistan in the World Cup warm-up will give Australia the confidence that their best isn't far off. And they could be firing on all cylinders before you know! (If you know, you know)