Crowe has several times spoken of the need for his team to have their various arts tested, how they need the spur and competition of hard opposition, how each man can lead the match-winning charge.
The Indians disappeared from the World Cup - which they won in 1983, with barely a whimper, and most of the complaints centered on having to play an international cricket match in a passing imitation of an Antarctic blizzard.
The wind snarled and howled about, the sun sometimes appeared unwillingly, there were whiffs of rain and every suggestion that the withering blast had come the 5054 kilometres from the South Pole without losing anything of its teeth-grating iciness.
But even if the Indians sometimes looked distraught with the weather and their own mistakes, they gave the New Zealanders the chance to further strengthen their World Cup structure.
The pitch and short outfield generally favoured the batsmen, and against stout batting from Sachin tendulkar (84) and Mohammed Azharuddin (55), followed by a lively blast from Kapil Dev for 33, the New Zealand bowlers had to work rather harder than they have needed to in recent matches.
So their effort in holding India to a score of 230 contributed much to the winning of the match.
Under such conditions, when the biting and gusty wind made accurate fielding and catching difficult, a respectable batting side would have expected at least 250 from their 50 overs, perhaps even more.
Dipak Patel quickly won a personal battle with Kris Srikkanth, and while Chris Cairns and Gavin Larsen have had more economical days, Willie Watson tightened his defence and Chris Cairns recovered his knack for taking wickets when they were needed.
The stronger work from the bowlers was quickly followed by another batting blitz from Mark Greatbatch, who exceeded his usual rate of getting his first 50 from 50 balls by gaining the mark in 47 balls this time.
By the time Greatbatch had scored his 73 from 77 balls, five fours and four sixes (one a two which acquired four overthrows) New Zealand were 118 for two wickets in the 24th over.
There was still some work to be done, and most of it was achieved by Andrew Jones, who has been rather in the shadow of the bright lights cast by Greatbatch and Crowe these days.
Jones needed a long and strong innings, and yesterday he worked himself back to his outstanding form of recent years.
Nothing fancy, nothing frilly, just good, solid yeoman work, 67 not out, coming in at 36, still there at the end. Jones, and the New Zealanders, will be much the better for that steadfast innings.
If there was a worry it was again the quick loss of Rod Latham, and this might open the possibility that there may still be a place for John Wright somewhere nearer the throne than he is at present.
Latham has the difficulty of trying to concentrate on his own batting when the Greatbatch whirlwind is blasting about at the other end. Latham's bowling looked timid yesterday, but he is still regarded as a necessary part of the bowling. Perhaps he will be the next one to move into top gear.
But no one seemed likely to overshadow Greatbatch in his incredible march to a glory he could only dream about three or four weeks ago.
He has this outrageous affinity with good luck, which further turns the bowlers grey before their time. Yesterday Greatbatch smacked one as high as a steeple, but into the howling gale.
Sanjay Manjrekar merely stood at midwicket and turned to watch the ball sail into the grandstand. Instead it held up in the wind , and had Manjrekar bothered to run 10 or 11 metres he could well have been in time for the catch.
Not long afterwards Greatbatch launched another hit of some danger to low-flying aircraft. This time it dropped comfortably within Majrekar's reach.
But as it swirled and wobbled about in the breeze so did Manjrekar's feet beat a nervous tattoo on the turf. Even while the ball was halfway down the odds were that Majrekar would miss the catch.
In the event he got in such a dither he only managed to get a finger or two to the ball and never looked like catching it.
So Greatbatch went blithely on as if these extraordinary events were merely part of some vast eternal plan designed for his and New Zealand's benefit.
Faced with this frustrating mixture of rare skill and share luck, the Indians never really had a chance.
