India's morning after

The hard life has begun for India's Twenty20 heroes. The CB Series will provide a glimpse into the future. Their skill and temperament will be tested: some will find theirs exposed, but some will go back better and tougher cricketers. Because success will have to be earned, it will be a true measure of worth, and will be more fulfilling.

Australia were given a glimpse of their own vulnerability in the Test series by a classy and tough bunch of cricketers determined to make their last trip Down Under memorable. But many of those titans have returned home, and India's limited-overs destiny has been entrusted to those who are seen to constitute its future.

Seen in that light, being blanked out in the CB series will not be a disaster. More likely it will be part of a harsh learning process. It also must be remembered that India have beaten Australia only twice in one-day cricket in Australia in the last two decades; even with a much-vaunted batting line-up in 2003-04, they only managed to win one match. By that yardstick, not a lot should be expected from this team.

Australia's all-round depth makes them, by a distance, the best one-day team in the world. Sri Lanka were the World Cup finalists and they have brought a balanced and experienced team. India were dumped out in the first round of the World Cup, and lost 4-2 to Australia at home; if they can challenge the title contenders, it will be an improvement.

That said, this series will be an exercise in getting in touch with reality for a few. India were deserving winners of the World Twenty20, but that is a form of cricket that can mask shortcomings. The gap between both the limited-over formats may not be as considerable as the one between Tests and the 50-over game, but a gap exists. More is required to win one-day games than a couple of frantic 30s or a couple of dead-straight overs. A few players are about to find out how good they really are.

The advantage of fielding a young team has already been evident in the running between the wickets in the first two matches. With a partner more alert to singles, even Sachin Tendulkar has been haring down the pitch. And Gautam Gambhir and Mahendra Singh Dhoni built their huge partnership against Sri Lanka by putting the ball into open spaces and running hard - their intensity didn't flag till the last ball of the innings.

The bigger test is, of course, in terms of pure cricket skills. Some of these young men have stepped into huge boots. Comparisons, however unwarranted, will be inevitable. With every top-order collapse a million glances will be cast backwards and conjectures will follow. The selectors may have erred on the side of boldness - one more batsman of proven pedigree, in addition to Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, would have helped the balance of the side - but having done so, they mustn't allow themselves to be pressured and swayed by the popular mood. On his debut, Manoj Tiwary looked dazed against Brett Lee, but hopefully he will not suffer the fate of Sourav Ganguly, who had to wait for four years for his second chance.

Rohit Sharma gave a glimpse of his potential in the opening match against Australia. He didn't score too many, but there is an air about him that says be belongs at the highest level. He stands still and tall - the first sign of batting pedigree - and seems to have time to play his strokes against even the quickest bowlers. He has a majestic drive, picks up the length early enough to be able to either hit through the line or lean back and cut, and crucially, his defending is immaculate. If he can learn to construct an innings, and gets his shot selection right - and these come with experience - he could be the next major Indian batsman. He should be granted the space to grow.

The captain faces the biggest challenge. At the best of times doing both keeping and batting is a big enough challenge, which explains why so few wicketkeepers, despite having the best view of proceedings, have captained their countries. To add to his problems, Dhoni has been fast-tracked into a job that must count among the toughest in the world of sport. He must balance the demands of the captaincy against spending time on his own game, which is yet to fully develop.

His wicketkeeping has improved considerably in the past year, and his footwork behind the stumps in the Test series was decisively superior to Adam Gilchrist's. His gathering has grown more polished too. But the limitations of his batting have been exploited by the Australians, who have made him work very hard for his runs.

In the first year of his career, which he played mostly in the subcontinent, Dhoni relied mainly on booming drives down the ground. But bowlers have gotten wise since, and not being a natural cutter and puller, Dhoni has had to graft for his runs. To his credit, he has shown the stomach for it and a lot of his innings are now about accumulation. He is an intelligent player and a quick learner and his game will grow. Not being burdened with the Test captaincy - there was a real danger of him getting it - has been a blessing, and like the team under him, he deserves patience and understanding.

It's time for Indian cricket fans to lower their expectations.