Such a long journey to reach No.1 spot in Test cricket

By John Cheeran
Cricket is very close to the Indian bone, and there is no doubt that India's elevation to the No.1 spot in Test rankings calls for celebration. Statistics quite often conceal more than what they reveal, and though Indian cricketers deserve their glory, they are far from the most feared cricket side in the world.
While it is important to pay tribute to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's boys on their tryst with ICC's Test championship rankings which was introduced in 2001, it would be prudent to pray that the Men in Blue retain the top spot for a significant period of time. India’s Test schedule ahead, unfortunately, does not offer much room for improvement.
Cricket is a sport that revels in numbers. But to measure cricketing greatness in terms of points would be missing the wood for trees.
Does this Indian side led by Dhoni inspire fear among opponents in the way the mighty West Indians, under Clive Lloyd, used to in early 1980s? Even Steve Waugh's Australians were feared and respected by the cricket world much more than the current Indian side.
One thing we have to remember. Rankings mirror incremental improvement in a side's progress and do not measure a certain side's greatness.
Be that as it may, it is important that India win key series at home and abroad, and in the process, win the respect of game's followers. Winning the 2011 World Cup should be a goal, even though critics may point out that it has nothing to with supremacy in Test cricket.
But, then, fear is the key. The respect that follows from fear will separate the truly great from the fleeting number game.