Celebrations! Jubilations! For it has now been established with almost mathematical rigour that while form is temporary, class is permanent. Sourav da hath silenced his critics by his latest century. The one in which he blazed away to his 50 in 139 balls, and then, then, believe it or not, actually stepped on the pedal, and sprinted to his next 50 in the small matter of 122 balls.

This, against the hostile bowling of Messrs Mahwire, Blignaut, Ewing and Dabengwa on a vile, raging pitch in some corner of a foreign field that is forever Zimbabwe. Ah, oh, wooh and other orgasmic noises that are supposed to pass for monosyllabic expressions of speechlessness. This, then, was the baap of the comebacks. This, then, was Captain Courageous. Move over Mark Taylor, Mike Brearley or whoever is your favourite-captain-in-spite-of-low-average.

Besides, he seems to have learnt from his other mistakes, awakening us to the fact that genius lies in attention to small details. No more the Sourav da of old, who would, in his quest for the big picture, forget trifles like grounding his bat. Now he often makes other, faster runners look inept slowcoaches. Laxman, the lazybones( and there're people who actually venerate his lazy, laid-back style. Lethargy, to these misguided aesthetes, is elegance) knew not how to keep pace with Sourav da, and paid dearly for his folly, in much the same way that other Indian batsmen did in the past.

Sourav da will sit back and muse fondly on this, on what we think is his defining innings, but which he knows is merely one of many to come, for the best is yet to be. The musing will last four years, in which period, he will average around 10, but that is just so opponents, critics and men of words can pleasure themselves by arguing that his time is past. Until he hits back. The way only he can.

He then will score a defensive stroke filled century(prefix favourite adjective - 'stout rearguard action','in the trenches' or 'back to the wall') in the 2010 series against the Bongs, which is going to be followed by what philistines would call a slump, but which in truth will an intentional layoff, intended at being the launchpad for yet another comeback in the 2015 series against the Zims, triggering off an astonishing perpetuity of comebacks.

Of course, magnanimous as he is, he isnt going to block the way for younger aspirants into the team, and will retire like a champion, when his game is at his peak, after yet another comeback in the 2098 India-Zimbabwe test series.

He'll then walk away gracefully to pursue business interests – in particular a cure for insomnia – a compendia of recordings of Saurav da innings of the last hundred years.

Until then of course, we have the direct, first person presence of Saurav da to lull us to sleep. Do go gentle into that good night, dearie.