I am stretching a point. But I do so deliberately. For while India is the destination of choice today, it will not remain so if our leaders continue to be limited by orthodoxy and cliche. I suspect Dravid would not have taken the risk of allowing a rookie to send down the last 6 balls. He is a seasoned practitioner and all too familiar with the consequences of failure. He would have followed convention and by doing so he would no doubt have minimised the risks. But I suspect he would also have reduced the probability of a dramatic victory.

A few days hence Dhoni may find himself at the receiving end of a reinvigorated Australian Eleven. But, the essential message of our South African triumph must not be lost. The youth are impatient of underperformance. And of explanations that justify such underperformance. The leaders must break out of their conventional straightjacket and countenance “radical” next steps.

The writer is chairman of the Shell group of companies in India. Views are personal.