India was never an economic alternative to China - as anyone who has ever visited both would readily understand. This was always wish casting from the can't-think tanks which frame the geopolitical discourse in the West.

India, as ever, will find its own path of development, one that respects its traditions and builds upon its strengths. Copying another's path is a fool's errand, especially one which has vastly different strengths / weaknesses compared to its own.