The party hosted by India in this home season has had a clear theme. New Zealand came dressed for it, so did England and Bangladesh. The Kiwis were defeated with ease. The Englishmen showed some resistance in the first Test but by the end of the fourth Test, they were down on their knees. Bangladesh were invited to the party for the first time but they were no match for the host as well. However, one last guest was yet to arrive – Australia.

We, as a nation, are obsessed with rankings, numbers, and stats – at least as along as it endorses our beliefs. India’s rise to the top of the rankings last year sparked off huge celebrations among the fans, and rightly so. It took India almost a decade to get to the top, and their performances on the field backed that accolade. Virat Kohli conquered everything that was thrown at him and his team, Ravichandran Ashwin established himself as the best Test bowler in the world, and even Ravindra Jadeja became a force to be reckoned with. Indians found themselves at the top, or near about, in all the disciplines in the ICC rankings.

Indian spinners finally meet their match and now need to step their game

As a result, someone like Ravindra Jadeja will be forced to have a more definite game plan for every opponent. He will need to attack the stumps a bit more along with turning the ball away. Jadeja's penchant for too much spin seemed to have hindered his ability to take wickets as the batsmen left the away-spinning ones alone as compared to an O'Keefe who could not spin it as much.

India cannot afford to rely on just Kohli and Pujara anymore

As Kohli played a ball he should have left in the first innings and left a ball he should have played in the second, the rest of the Indian batting lineup crumbled. Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been as vital a cog in the Test team as Kohli without receiving similar credit, also faltered, while KL Rahul showed his immaturity in throwing his wicket away in the first innings after getting his eye in. Sunil Gavaskar pointed out after the match that India played IPL-like cricket. Rahul and co need to be more patient while batting on tough wickets. Batting for just 75 overs in two innings is not going to win a Test match for any team.

A more strategic approach towards DRS

Apart from batting, bowling, and fielding, India also continued to struggle in the newly added fourth aspect of the game – DRS. The likes of Ashwin and Saha’s over-enthusiasm along with Kohli’s apparent gullibility, when it comes to appeals, led to India wasting their DRS calls once again. They repeated the same mistakes they made in the previous series, but this time, it got highlighted due to the outcome of the match.

In hindsight, this Australian team has breathed new life into the Indian home season, which had been pretty one-sided so far. While every pundit and expert expected India to walk all over the Aussies, Shane Warne had warned them that it will be much closer than what people were expecting at the start of the series.

For the first time in a while, this Indian team have been asked to dig deep and show some resilience. For the first time in a while, their authority at home has been challenged, and it will help them to take their game to the next level. It will also prepare them for the more tougher challenges that lie ahead of them away from the comfort of dust bowls at home. But perhaps most importantly, this defeat will make them realize how dependent their tactics, of making rank turners, are on a coin toss.