A command performance in the final, spearheaded by a masterly spell of swing and seam bowling from Mohammed Siraj, turbo-charged India’s tryst with an eighth Asia Cup crown, the tournament providing a realistic assessment of where the team stand with the 50-over World Cup two and a half weeks away.

Fitness concerns surrounding Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel were the only major blips; skipper Rohit Sharma rightly predicted that the former is all but ready to return to action for the first ODI against Australia on Friday after contracting back spasms midway through the competition, though there is a little more uncertainty with regard to the latter, whose quadriceps injury will need careful monitoring and treatment.