They came. They conqured.
Although the contest never quite lived up to expectations, and was marred by a pitch of dubious quality towards the end, Australia took home with them an enduring image.
A Test series victory on Indian soil on top of a pile of unsuccessful attempts after 35 long years of wilderness.
Before the series started, most reckoned that Matthew Hayden, unshakable in 2001 when he made 549 runs, and Darren Lehmann — who batted with considerable skill on turning tracks in Sri Lanka — would plot India's downfall.
But it was the less-fancied but robust Australian middle order of Damien Martyn, Michael Clarke and Simon Katich — that India's bowlers weren't prepared for — added with the hard-hitting bonus of Adam Gilchrist which scripted the victory.
The soft underbelly of 2001 had evolved into a battle-ready pack capable of absorbing the hardest blows, while in comparison India's much-lauded batting line-up had a meltdown.