New Delhi | The formalities took just about an hour to complete as India defeated West Indies by seven wickets in the second and final Test here on Monday for a 2-0 series sweep during which the markedly superior hosts were tested only towards the end.
Besides reaffirming India's home supremacy, the triumph will also go down as Shubman Gill's first series victory as India's Test captain.
Needing just 58 runs to reach the target of 121, KL Rahul (58 not out off 108 balls), with Dhruv Jurel for company (6 not out) completed the task in 35.2 overs.
Rahul hit six fours and two sixes, adding 79 with Sai Sudharsan (39) for the second wicket.
While the second Test dragged into the fifth morning -- largely because of the resistance from centurions John Campbell (115) and Shai Hope (103), and a dogged 10th-wicket stand -- the Feroz Shah Kotla track offered little assistance to spinners, remaining low and slow throughout.
Across two Tests, Indian bowlers claimed all 40 opposition wickets, with pacers contributing admirably on unhelpful surfaces and spinners showing patience when conditions turned docile at the Kotla.
For Indian batters, there were five centuries and a near-90 among the top six across two matches.
Yet, when viewed in context, given that none of the West Indies top-order batters currently average even 35 in Test cricket, let alone 40 which is considered the benchmark, the gains, beyond the valuable World Test Championship points, appear limited.
Adding to that, apart from Jayden Seales, most West Indian bowlers lacked substantial first-class experience. Seales, incidentally went wicket-less in the match with Jomel Warrican adding one wicket to the three he picked up in the first innings.
Despite the late spark shown by his side, Roston Chase became just the second West Indies captain to lose all his first five Tests as leader after Kraigg Brathwaite.
India's real test will come against South Africa, and if the first two days of the Pakistan-South Africa Test in Lahore are any indication, the turn and variable bounce at the Gaddafi Stadium is making quite a difference.
Out of the 16 wickets to fall across those two days, 15 have been claimed by spinners.
That raises a pertinent question -- whether playing on flat batting tracks against a much stronger South African line-up would be a prudent choice.
A batting order featuring Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs and Tony de Zorzi is several notches above this West Indies side.
If Indian spinners struggled to dismiss a below-par Caribbean unit on a placid pitch, it could get trickier against the Proteas.
For head coach Gautam Gambhir, the scars of last year's home series whitewash against New Zealand still run deep. Yet, preparing rank turners remains a double-edged sword.
This Indian batting line-up, apart from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, is relatively young.
However, both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill now possess enough experience to handle challenging surfaces.
It is worth remembering that the now retired Virat Kohli's Test average dipped during the phase when India regularly played on rank turners.
But those same pitches helped Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja evolve into world-beaters.
On less helpful tracks, neither Jadeja nor Washington Sundar -- both finger spinners -- appear half as threatening.
Kuldeep Yadav, being a wrist spinner, remains a more potent option under such conditions.
The venues for the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa will, therefore, be crucial in assessing where India stand as a Test side at home -- especially with no red-ball cricket scheduled for the next eight months before the away series in Sri Lanka.
At Eden Gardens, the surface has rarely been a rank turner.
Traditionally, it offers assistance to seamers during the early and late hours of play but otherwise remains a good batting wicket where bowlers must work hard for success.
As for Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, which will host its first-ever Test match, the element of the unknown remains -- both in terms of pitch behaviour and match dynamics.
Scoreboard of the second Test between India and the West Indies here on Tuesday.
India 1st innings: 518/5 decl.
West Indies 1st innings: 248
West Indies 2nd innings (fo): 390
India 2nd innings: (O/n) 63/1
Yashasvi Jaiswal c Phillip b Warrican 8
KL Rahul not out 58
Sai Sudharsan c Hope b Chase 39
Shubman Gill c Greaves b Chase 13
Dhruv Jurel not out 6
Extras: 0
Total: (For 3 wkts, 35.2 overs) 124
Fall of wkts: 1-9, 2-88, 3-108.
Bowling: Jayden Seales 3-0-14-0, Jomel Warrican 15.2-4-39-1, Khary Pierre 8-0-35-0, Roston Chase 9-2-36-2.
