India in Good Shape to Fight for 2015 Cricket World Cup Despite Loss to England

For India, Friday's dead-rubber with England was just another of the inconsequential one-day internationals that litter their annual calendar. 

With the series already won and little left to play for, it was hardly surprising to see MS Dhoni's men aimlessly meander to a 41-run loss that spared the hosts an embarrassing 4-0 whitewash.

Indeed, to understand how little Friday's contest meant to the visitors, you only had to see Ajinkya Rahane's careless swipe in the first over, Ravindra Jadeja's innings that essentially became a personal practice session, the wide smiles on their faces as Suresh Raina received his Man of the Series award and their uncontrollable laughter as Virat Kohli fell over an advertising board following the post-match presentation.

After two-and-a-half gruelling months of almost non-stop cricket that began in June, and with the trophy already in hand, Friday was nothing more than just another day to get through for India, a meaningless afternoon of cricket that carried no wider context. 

The celebratory champagne was perhaps the only thing that lured them to the ground at all. 

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Prior to the fifth and final match, however, the series carried an undeniable importance for India.

In the wake of the team's capitulation in the preceding Test campaign, Dhoni's side had been engulfed in negativity and doubt, many questioning both India's resolve and their appetite for the five-day game. 

The now-concluded one-day contests, therefore, were an opportunity to compartmentalise the team's problems, a chance to show disappointing results in the Test arena weren't about to spill over into the nation's outstanding limited-overs play. 

Reassuringly, India have done exactly that. 

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Dhoni and his team can now leave England—well, after their sole Twenty20 match at Edgbaston on Sunday—having regained their belief, eyeing the chance to defend their World Cup title when the tournament heads to Australia and New Zealand in February. 

Such a feat is well within their grasp.

Boasting a top order that few sides can compete with in the 50-over format, India's World Cup defence will predictably hinge on the fortunes of Rahane, Kohli, Raina, Shikhar Dhawan and, possibly, Rohit Sharma. 

As that group again showed in their plundering of 304 in Cardiff, and in consecutive waltzes when chasing at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston, India possess a unique balance of power and nous in their one-day batting that is responsible for the nation's position at the top of the ICC Rankings. 

A stifling, spin-based attack only further compounds the challenge facing opposing sides. 

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If there are issues facing India in their quest to match only Australia and the West Indies as consecutive World Cup champions, though, it's the team's ability to contain with the ball on hard pitches and their overall record Down Under—two highly related concerns. 

In 115 completed ODIs in Australia and New Zealand, India have only emerged victorious on 43 occasions. When Dhoni's team last contested a series on Kiwi shores, they were blown away 4-0. When they took part in a triangular series along with Sri Lanka in Australia in 2012, they didn't reach the finals. 

On rock-hard surfaces in the middle of expansive boundaries—particularly in Australia—India have typically struggled to squeeze the opposition in the way they're used to with their subcontinental approach, placing an added burden on a batting lineup not comfortable with the ball above the waist. 

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Yet, both India's draw for the 2015 World Cup and their recent record in ICC tournaments suggests such concerns can be overcome. 

In Pool B, Dhoni's team will face Pakistan, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe. Of the six, only the Proteas have the capacity to uncover any of India's lingering issues in the anticipated conditions. 

That will give the defending champions time to ease into the game's showpiece event—a commodity India's opponents won't want them to have. 

After capturing the 2011 World Cup, cricket's behemoth has claimed last summer's Champions Trophy and reached the final of this year's World Twenty20. 

Excelling in those environments involves a certain knack, an ability to adapt, to counter the contrasting skills of varying opponents with little preparation in a congested schedule. 

India's recent record suggests they handle it better than most. 

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But such qualities are worthless without belief, without that powerful inner steel developed from winning.

And despite Friday's loss, India have won comfortably in their one-day series with England, outplaying the hosts with supremely rounded performances in the second, third and fourth games of the contest. 

After an abysmal Test campaign, the triumph is a timely boost, reminding both India and their opponents of the team's capacity to dominate the white-ball formats as the World Cup approaches.