PRIOR to the Perth match in the ongoing tri-series Mahela Jayawardene had declared “the world is watching Aussies” after their flabbergasting loss at the hands of India at Melbourne.

However, Perth sent a near-perfect rejoinder to the Sri Lankan captain who must have now got the lesson — class remains permanent. And the appreciable comeback by the Aussies on Sunday against India at Adelaide has only augmented this very fact.

In fact, glancing at the world beaters’ scintillating record in ODIs (169 wins, 49 losses, three tied, 10 no results), including a 20wins-5losses-3nr (in the past 12 months), since January 2000, it’s very conspicuous the 21st century has been, more or less, theirs.

It is limited-overs cricket though — a pretty funny trade that raises any and dumps all and sundry, even top guns, in no time. Luck has the final say here on many a times.

Even in the five-day format where proficiency matters most, the Aussies proved many pundits wrong before Anil Kumble and his party had even reached Down Under for the four-Test clash.

Though the compound mayhem arising out of Sydney besides the Steve Bucknor issue overshadowed the real on-field business in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, still the glitzy series had other manifest features.

The most glaring, perhaps, is the Aussie dominance which was once again proven as a ground reality, or rather a ‘very reality at the grounds’.

If the Indians sense they were denied justice in Sydney, then what the touring team’s management would say regarding some of the Perth rulings that went purely against Ponting’s men? The verdicts given against Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds and Chris Rogers were mighty close to being horrendous.

The Australian Test cricket’s stupendous file — gleaming with 68 wins against 11 losses and 12 draws in 2000s, including a grand set of 10 victories, just a lone defeat and a draw against a top-class team like South Africa — itself states much.

Now if Australia bagged the rubber 2-1 after the Adelaide draw, who should be termed the best? The Aussies, it’s as clear-cut as that.

Clinching a ‘sweet 16’ for the second time after making it in Feb 2001, and then plunging by 72 runs while in pursuit of a colossal 413 is no disgrace.

While contemplating in a wider context, those who were comparing India to Australia before the high-profile Tests perhaps lacked pragmatism, to say the least.

If the tourists had the services of all their best available campaigners in Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Vangipurappu Laxman, Saurav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan etc, Australia, after a long time, didn’t have a dependable opening pair. Had Hayden played in Perth, the result might have been contrary. Don’t forget the unquestionable impact of his hundreds in the remaining three Tests.

In fact, the hosts played with a novice opening duo of Chris Rogers and Phil Jaques in Perth and their double failures there led to an added pressure on the middle order that was, very unexpectedly, not in its top touch.

Secondly, after the departure of stalwarts like Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn in the last few years maybe only Australia are the team that could survive this mass exodus, through a defined and rock-solid replacement system. Gilchrist’s departure after the ongoing tri-series is also under the spotlight in this regard.

In contrast teams like Pakistan and West Indies have been facing innumerable hurdles after the leaving of masters like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Brian Lara.

There were other positives which the Australians can take forward for the battles ahead.

If Hayden kept on stacking runs, Brett Lee was right at the vanguard with 24 scalps in the series, showing what he is capable of. Mitchell Johnson, pocketing 16 victims in his first major Tests with some meticulous bowling, has also appeared as a candidate to partner Lee. The charming left-hander almost bewildered the Indians at Perth with his batting too under intense pressure. Stuart Clark (14 wickets), who has already established himself in the team as a significant member, did his own job.

And so all this bodes well for Australia who are scheduled to play Tests in Pakistan next month before hosting the Proteas for a gruelling battle later this year.

Only Tendulkar’s willow and Kumble’s leather could muster something substantial for the Indians whose feet were certainly not on the ground after their home series win against an under-strength Pakistan, a fact quite apparent by their combined rhetoric before reaching Down Under.

For the Indians, ending the hotly-contested series as 1-2 losers is no more than a consolation.

They are better advised to focus on the game more than their usual oratory — to be counted among the very best.

Now their fate in the tri-series lies in their bat-and-ball show, and not in speech. Moreover, acknowledging the winners gracefully is a virtue every one should have.

Australia, for several sound reasons, are naturally expected to retain the zenith for some more time.