When you are playing a West Indies side who would probably be bowled out for zero if they played their predecessors from the 1970s, 80s and 90s, it is difficult to get too carried away with any performance that India might put up in this ongoing ODI series.
But then, that doesn't mean you don't acknowledge some of the impressive knocks or performances that the India players put up, even if it will always come with an asterisk that says: well, it was against this West Indies side.
MS Dhoni was one of those players to shine in the third one-day international on Friday, playing a wonderful unbeaten knock of 78 to guide India to a comfortably-defended score.
On a wicket that was not even remotely conducive to big-hitting, Dhoni, whose biggest criticism is that he isn't innovative enough with the bat, showed he is much more than a helicopter shot one-trick pony.
The feeling is if you take the ball outside Dhoni's zone – good length and over in and around the stumps – those arms cannot be freed and the ball won't go soaring over long-on for a maximum.
So, the death bowlers, while bowling to Dhoni, either keep it well short or use the wide yorkers to good effect, forcing Dhoni to hit through the offside.
Now, Dhoni isn't one of the greatest captains in Indian cricket's history for no reason. He has a great cricketing brain – it just has this tendency, for some reason, to go into defensive mode in Test cricket, but that's for another day – so the great man was bound to find a way to counter the plans of the bowlers.
The thing is, with India's strong top order, very rarely do the lower order batsmen get enough of an opportunity to show their skills. Dhoni is not someone who can go hammer and tongs from ball one; give him some time in the middle, let him start feeling comfortable with the pace of the pitch and those big/innovative shots will come out.
Innovation was certainly Dhoni's mantra in this innings in Antigua, at the stadium named after one of the greatest to play the game, with one six in particular standing out.
Jason Holder, the West Indies captain, was using the full and wide ball tactics to Dhoni, and the India veteran, knowing where the ball was going to come most of the time, decided to use some of his innovative skills.
To a ball well outside off and quite full, Dhoni, moving across, somehow found the timing and power to shovel the ball over square-leg for a six. It was an astounding shot, and had AB De Villiers played it, everyone would be waxing lyrical of the brilliance of the man.
But, this was Dhoni doing an ABD, and doing it pretty well too.
There have been questions raised over Dhoni's worth in the limited-overs formats of the game, with those big-hitting batting powers on the wane. However, what this innings, and a fair few before them as well, have shown is that there is still plenty left in the tank, and while there might be talent waiting in the wings to take Dhoni's place, they might have to wait a little longer.
The man from Ranchi ain't done yet.....unless, of course, he decides to announce his retirement out of the blue, then, yup, he is.
