The margin made the win special. A few grey areas might persist but if the batsmen who put the reverse against Bangladesh behind them and played with gay abandon continue in the same vein, India can get through to the next round.

The contest against Sri Lanka might pose bigger questions but a commodity called confidence that was in short supply after the opener is back to propel the men in blue.

The batting that ran up the highest World Cup score was never going to be challenged by this pedestrian Bermudan attack. But the no holds barred attack was refreshing. Virender Sehwag played a knock that was long overdue but the striking aspect of his innings was not the final tally but the pace at which he made them. With his place under serious question Viru was selfless in going after the attack. He could have taken the easier option of grinding out a good score but he continued to play his shots, giving top priority to the team’s requirement.

The tongues will continue to wag as the runs came against a bunch of amateurs that had a painter, a plumber and a policeman whose bodyweight has made more news than his ability to bowl left arm spin.

But spare a thought — cricket is a game that is mostly played within your own self and the opponent is a mere convenience. It was not India’s fault they were playing Bermuda.

Yuvraj played a blinder and I was not surprised. There were enough indications against Bangladesh that he was hitting the straps well. He continues to improve with every game and with Sachin giving the freedom to his batting that was also long overdue turned a good total into a massive one.

The bowling could have been tighter. Agarkar and Zaheer Khan continue to feed the batsmen in the ‘scoring zone’ and against a better set of players they will be bled for more.

The only mistake, if one can call it that, was the exclusion of Harbhajan Singh. I strongly feel our strength is in spin and there is nothing wrong in playing both spinners.

India should be in the next stage without which the game’s premier event would be robbed of much of its charm. What is called for is a fearless approach and with service from the batsmen resuming, India are well on course after failure in the opening skirmish, that could well be put away as a bad dream as Dravid had said.

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