An unofficial rose

Australia is beaten; England demoralised by now. Does this portend cricket's Indian era, asks Rohit Mahajan in the latest edition of Outlook. It would seem, he says, that India are playing the best cricket in the world. But India are not No. 1.

India moved to No. 2, marginally ahead of South Africa, in Tests with the win over the Aussies. South Africa, though, will be back at No. 2 with a certain whitewash of Bangladesh. In ODIs, the Indians need to whitewash England 7-0 to move to the second spot behind Australia. Currently, they're fifth. Most experts are unequivocal in their opinion that while India are on their way up and Australia down, neither has reached the point that alters equations significantly.