What a year it has been! From August 15, 2008 to August 15, 2009, Indian cricket has taken giant strides, so much so that it now stands poised to stake a claim to being the number one side in all formats of the game; the disappointment in the recent T-20 World Cup in England notwithstanding. On the eve of India?s 61st Independence day in 2008, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was gradually finding his footing as captain. Against all expectations and all odds, Dhoni?s young side had first won the inaugural T-20 World Cup in South Africa in September 2007 and then upstaged Ponting?s Australians in Australia to wrest the 50-over one-day international crown in March 2008, after 22 years.

As the year 2008 drew to a close, Indian performances under Dhoni turned sharper. Destroying Australia 2-0 with clinical precision and winning back the Gavaskar Border Trophy in the process, Indians signalled the end of Australian dominance. The Australian demolition was followed by the tormenting of the English. In the one-day series, there was literally no contest as the Indians romped home 5-0, a result that could well have been 7-0 had the final two matches not been cancelled.

In the first test match of the two test series, which marked the resumption of sporting contests on Indian soil post 26/11, India went a step further. Chasing down a mammoth 387 runs to win, the highest ever on Indian soil, Mahendra Singh Dhoni?s team raised the bar to a level no Indian test team had done before. And Sachin Tendulkar, the architect of the Chennai victory, staked a claim to being the greatest the game has ever seen.

When Sunil Gavaskar left Indian cricket, we did not want a player to fill the void; we needed a saviour who could help us overcome the crisis the nation was facing. The Tendulkar phenomenon may be linked to the medieval Indian practice of bhakti and the visual economy of darshan; where the devotee worships the divine object of his desire. No contemporary icon has possibly had to face such intense scrutiny, which is why Tendulkar, who has undergone this ordeal with perfection for nearly two decades, stands tall in the world cricketing pantheon.

Off the field too, India began 2009 aiming to consolidate its position as cricket?s new nerve centre. In all of April and May, global cricket?s attention was focused on India with players from around the world trying to grab their share of India?s growing riches. Despite the economic meltdown and amidst all controversy, the IPL juggernaut rolled on by successfully moving its base to South Africa.

The best evidence of India?s unprecedented financial might was the first and second IPL auction of players, in February of 2008 and 2009 respectively. Both auctions were the leading story in all Indian newspapers the next day. The headlines in the media following both auctions were telling. Here are some examples: ?Cricket just got even bigger?, ?Stars shine at path breaking cricket auction in Mumbai? and the new ?Bombay Sport Exchange?. The success of the second auction was such that IPL Chairman Lalit Modi could proudly declare IPL as being ?recession proof?. In a game that has intrinsically been linked to notions of gentlemanly behaviour and morality, this was capitalism at its best, albeit capitalism Indian style.

A country, which only embraced the free market in 1991 with then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh?s policy of economic liberalisation, the auctions were seen as offshoots of an economy that has been booming ever since.

In this atmosphere of relative optimism, a note of caution is a necessity. Just before the start of the

India Australia series in October 2008, I had written in this column, ?With the Australians staying on to play the four-match test series despite multiple terror blasts across the country, there?s little doubt over India?s growing financial might. However, does financial might translate into global supremacy??

In other words, because we control global cricket?s finances, can India be called cricket?s leading superpower? This is especially pertinent because Indians hardly ever venture out to see domestic fixtures like the Ranji or Duleep Trophy, nor do they show any keenness in watching other great cricket contests like the Ashes. From the evidence of near empty stadiums during the Test series against Australia and then England; despite India recording two of her best series victories of all time, it can be suggested that India?s claim to being the leading cricketing nation may soon be under threat. A country, which only appreciates T20 cricket, can hardly aspire to be in pole position.

While not comparing the various forms and acknowledging that each has its own merit, there?s little doubt that a composite appreciation of cricket?s various forms is essential if India is to be considered cricket?s new home.

This aberration notwithstanding, come 15 August 2010 we will have answers to quite a few questions has India successfully managed the final leap forward? Performances at the Champions Trophy in South Africa in September, T-20 World Cup in the Caribbean in April-May 2010, the successfully staging of IPL 3 and performances at the slew of test matches against Sri Lanka and South Africa between November and February will provide us the answer. Here?s anticipating another packed and successful season for the Indian Cricket team.

?The writer is a cricket historian