After fifteen long years, in the sleepy town of Dambulla, famous for its monasteries and caves, India broke the Asia Cup jinx.

By Himanshu Shekhar

MS Dhoni and Co proudly laid their hands on the silver trophy with mat and gloss finish, signifying the message ‘friendship beyond boundaries'.

With victory in the tenth edition of this tournament, Dhoni now has the distinction of leading India to four major title wins in seven finals. Riding on perfect seamer friendly condition and an evening breeze, Indian pacers led by Nehra, wrecked havoc in the Lankan camp to set the tone for the Men in Blue's triumph.

The title in the island nation notwithstanding, it would be too early to say that the team is back to its winning ways, ahead of the World Cup early next year

It is true that Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra sealed the match in India's favour on the bowler friendly Dambulla wicket, but when conditions were not favourable, they often struggled to make early inroads.

So, in an environment where every tournament is being portrayed as a build up to the World Cup, it is of paramount importance that India answers some serious questions; do some serious introspection.

Dambulla has definitely given us some derivatives to chew. If you leave alone the performances of few senior batsmen, who in any case pick themselves in the playing eleven, none of the younger ones did anything exceptional nor did they do anything which would warrant their immediate dropping.

However, Virender Sehwag's lack of form and the recurring injuries give Team India some reasons to worry. A hamstring ruled the Delhi dasher out of the final but thanks to Dinesh Karthik's special knock, India managed to put a competitive total in the title clash. Though Dhoni and the selectors know that God forbid, India would not have to see too far away for Sehwag's substitute.

But again, the dismissals of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina, especially after getting good starts, can prove costly for India against more formidable opponents like Australia.

Dambulla has also failed to answer India's problem at number 7. Ravindra Jadeja had a forgettable series and thanks to his off colour bowling, India have to seriously think on the depth, if any he adds to the team.

The hard-fought Pakistan game exposed his batting abilities as the youngster struggled against the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohhamad Aamer.

History suggests that champion teams have always had a world class player at number seven, capable enough to trouble the best in the business and finish games in close encounters. Is Jadeja the man to do the job?

Dambulla may not have come up with the answer but it has, without an iota of doubt, popped up the question.

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