India, Jan. 2 -- It was building for a while but now, it truly feels like the transition is upon us. Over the past few years, we've seen a phasing out of the seniors. Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin. Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami might join the list soon and that will leave the 36-year-old Virat Kohli as the only surviving member of the squad that made winning away from India its big goal.

But they did more than that. They made India unbeatable at home and by focussing on an aggressive fast-bowling driven approach, they made India a threat in all conditions. If the hosts gave them a green top, they were risking defeat as well. Since 2017, India's pacers have taken 763 wickets at an ...