Six back-to-back ODI trophies in 11 months across four continents should easily qualify as Indian cricket's finest hour since those run-of-the-mill tours of England and Australia in 2011-12. But winning an ODI series in South Africa will be a first that India has tried in vain for 21 years.
Not just India, South Africa dominated almost every visitor since their re-entry into international cricket - until Pakistan arrived this year. The Pakistanis created history and exposed some chinks in the Proteas' armour with a 2-1 series win. That has added strength to India's conviction that the South African fortress is not unconquerable.
For the first time, India will travel to South Africa as world champions and under a leader who is the only one to have won all three ICC trophies - World Twenty20 (2007), World Cup (2011) and Champions Trophy (2013). Add the Test mace to that and it becomes an enviable captaincy record.
It was Dhoni who broke the ODI jinx in Australia by winning the Commonwealth Bank tri-series in 2007/08, and the current team and its form offers Dhoni the chance to do the same on what is possibly his last tour of South Africa.
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