From the first case of Covid-19 detected in India on 30th January 2020, today over 83 lakh individuals across the country have been infected and 1.25 lakh plus lives have been lost (figures as of 5th November). The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been at the forefront of managing the pandemic and has been issuing evolving testing guidelines with the progress of time. In the first two phases of lockdown, the absence of a cohesive Covid-19 response strategy including testing and tracing cost us heavily, both in terms of lives and livelihoods affected, and led us down the path to become the second most impacted country in the world. This health crisis is far from over and therefore, to correct course, we need to focus on smart testing and other policy measures that will enable us to get ahead of the challenges posed by this pandemic.