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Now that India have reached the No. 1 position in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test rankings, it will be a tougher challenge for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men to maintain their top spot.
That India have worked hard to reach the pinnacle of Test cricket there is no doubt. But the credit for this should not only go to the present lot of cricketers and the coaching staff led by Gary Kirsten.
India has, in fact, been slowly and steadily moving up ever since Saurav Ganguly and John Wright took over at the helm of Indian cricket as captain and coach, respectively.
Later, Rahul 'The Wall' Dravid and Anil Kumble added their mite to the team's build-up and Dhoni has done an exceptional job so far.
Wright, who coached India for five years, has praised their elevation to the top spot. The New Zealander, who along with Ganguly brought a more professional outlook towards fitness and training and touring overseas, pinpointed the team's unity and all-round depth as key features to the pinnacle as well as the future.
"India deserves this ... not only the players and the board but also the fans," he said. "I always knew that India has the ability to become the best Test team in the world. I'm so pleased for the players, Gary, Paddy (Upton) and the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). I know the board is a tough task master but it is fantastic."
Ironically, India's low frequency of Tests could cause them to lose their status sooner rather than later. They are only the third team, after Australia and South Africa, to reach the summit of the ICC's Test rankings since they were introduced in 2001 but their time there could be short because of a schedule that contains only two Tests in the next 11 months.
Which means the duration of their reign will be determined by how their closest rivals - South Africa and Australia - fare in the next few months.
"It is a bit of a concern, as we play only two Test matches in the next six months, so it will be tough for us to maintain the position," Dhoni said after India's innings victory over Sri Lanka in the third and final Test at Mumbai.
"I can't do anything about the schedule. It is good to play Test cricket, at the same time we are here to play whatever cricket we are asked to play."
This apart, India will have to concentrate on improving their fielding which fell below club standards as was seen in the two Twenty20 fixtures against the Lankans.
One could argue that this was a different format and played under lights with a white ball. But the fact is that at the international level there can be no excuses because the players are basically the same and they are expected to put in their best.
That saw them lose the first T20 international but they won the second despite their shoddy fielding because the Lankans were also equally bad, if not worse.
