The previous summer they had lost the Ashes and failed to win a game in a quadrangular series against the West Indies, England and Pakistan – hardly a strong form reference for a World Cup played on the subcontinent, where Australian teams seldom win.

When they returned home two months later, they had laid the foundations for what would become one of the most dominant eras in the world game.

The size of the mountain Australia scaled at the 1987 World Cup cannot be understated. When Australian cricket plunges into crisis, as it did two months ago, it's often described as the worst since the dark days of the mid-1980s.

Dean Jones, Steve Waugh and Craig McDermott became household names but back then were project players thrown into the deep end after the rebel tours to South Africa.

"There was something about the core group we had together – all young but so much potential," victorious captain Allan Border says. "If you look at the names in the World Cup they all went on to pretty good international careers. It was the start of good times for Australian cricket."

The seeds were sown for Australia's World Cup success on the tied Test tour of India the previous year when coach Bob Simpson drew on a line from the famous civil rights activist Mahatma Gandhi for inspiration. "To lose patience is to lose the battle."

"It's very appropriate on the subcontinent, it was mentioned a bit," David Boon, Australia's leading run-scorer from the tournament and a stalwart of the 1980s and '90s, says.

"We weren't overly experienced. The key to us winning that and moving forward was total team, no individual, which we introduced on the '86 tour.

"It stuck in our mind for quite a long time and helped us win the mental side of things when we came back to Australia and moved forward in Test cricket as well."

That summer they ended a run of eight Test series without a win after Mike Whitney famously held out Richard Hadlee but it was not until after the 1989 Ashes that Australia became a side that won regularly home and away.

"We became a lot better cricket team – confidence, injection of new players coming through, you start to turn things around and become a real force," Border says. "It was a real pivotal moment."

Wind the clock forward to 2017 and Australian cricket is again coming out of a dark period, only this time one that lasted months and not years. "It's a helluva lot of difference," Boon says.

That said Australia's recent record on the spinning tracks of Asia is a lot worse than the 1980s. Border played 22 Tests on the subcontinent for only two wins – both against then minnow Sri Lanka – though the teams he played in were able to eke out stalemates. His 1986 team played out a tie and two draws.

"We'd almost take that as a result these days," Border says. "The situation the side confronts now is not dissimilar to '87. The expectations are we'll get towelled up."

Border was in Sri Lanka for Australia's meltdown last year and saw first-hand in the dressing rooms how much the players were hurting.

"The message I've talked to the boys about is this has been going on for 40 years," Border says. "It's up to the guys picked to show their worth. It's the last frontier for Australian cricket. We haven't performed well for a long, long time in the subcontinent."

Border's concerns centre on the side's batting flaws on turning pitches and the reliance on Smith and David Warner, whose second halves of the summer were exceptional. For Boon, the key is Australia's mental attitude – not just to the game but to the country.

"If you go in with any shady bits in your mind at all and the initial thought process is "oh my God, this is going to be a hard tour because of the culture and environment', you'll put yourself behind the eight ball," Boon, a selector from 2000 to 2011 and now a match referee for the International Cricket Council, says.

"The key is to be positive when you land, even before that.

"I'm not in the inner sanctum of Australian cricket anymore. The only thing is if you link the 1987 World Cup to now, the one thing I put on is positive attitude and a confident image and go and give it your best shot. I still think that holds firm. It would definitely hold firm on the subcontinent."