Indian cricket has never had it so good - and more importantly - for such a long period of time. While the debate is already on as to whether this is the best-ever side in both forms of the game, the conservative Wisden was quick to recognise the form and consistency of the key members of Team India while naming their annual awards.

For one, an unprecedented number of five players - Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan - have found their way into the Dream Test XI of Wisden. And, no prizes for guessing that Dhoni has been picked to lead the team even though he formally took over the reins of Test captaincy only late last year after the retirement of Anil Kumble.

While such a recognition was not really unexpected, it was "Viru" who took the cake with the honour of being the Wisden Cricketer of the Year - the first Indian ever since the award was instituted in 2004. Consider this, it's an honour which has eluded even the 'Fab Four' when they were at their peak over the last five years, with finally Sehwag stealing a march over them.

What makes "Viru" so special? While justifying his choice over the South African captain Graeme Smith, the selectors felt that he had done so by taking the task of opening Test innings to a new level. His ability to achieve a mental domination from the first ball - much in the mould of a Matthew Hayden at his best - sets him apart and makes him such a dangerous customer in world cricket today.

Thrust into the opener's slot in Tests during the tour of England in 2002, Sehwag decided not to alter his approach to batting even in the longer version of the game. With him, you can brace yourself for anything: it can be a forward defensive shot, bat and pad close together, to the first ball or it can even fly past the slips off a thick outside edge of his bat. Still, this is the style which has made him the only Indian batsman to score two triple centuries and given him an awesome strike-rate in both forms of the game.

It was perhaps of little consequence that the three-member jury of Wisden had a vocal Indian called Ravi Shastri (the other two being former West Indies paceman Ian Bishop and ex-Kiwi stumper Ian Smith), for none would have held a valid brief for anybody else except Smith. With the great Gambhir now batting the way he is, it looks like these 'Daredevils' from Delhi will continue to pose more terror threats in the minds of bowlers worldwide in the season to come.