India, Jan. 7 -- On January 7, 2019, rain and time finally put a full stop on the fourth Test at the SCG and with it, confirmed India's first-ever Test series win in Australia, 2-1. That day was a quiet, stubborn affirmation: India had gone to Australia and proved they would win the hard way - by batting long, bowling fast, and refusing to blink. Seven years later, the stars of that triumph are scattered across retirements, domestic reinventions, and modified international roles. The series itself has become a line you draw through the modern era: before it, India hoped overseas. After it, India expected.

If one batter defined the series aesthetically, it was Cheteshwar Pujara, not because it was pretty or elegant, but because it was rel...