A 161-run win but 8230;

POSITIVES8226; The bowling appears to be getting better with each game and so is the fielding 8212; Chappell8217;s early areas of concern...

POSITIVES

8226; The bowling appears to be getting better with each game and so is the fielding 8212; Chappell8217;s early areas of concern. First-change pacer Ajit Agarkar along with the in-form Irfan Pathan, who once again showed all the traits of Chappell8217;s 8216;multi-utility8217; man. India8217;s fielding also has been a treat to watch, especially with Mohd Kaif leading the charge.

8226; Yuvraj Singh looks determined to take some more responsibility down the order. After admitting earlier that it is frustrating to bat so low in the line-up where scoring opportunities cease to exist, the dashing southpaw is beginning to make full use of whatever comes his way.

8226; To Ganguly8217;s luck, the lower middle order has been performing well to keep the team afloat in the worst of situations. Against New Zealand, it was Pathan and JP Yadav while on Monday, Dhoni and Yuvraj played their part.

8226; For starters, India managed to do exactly what they probably wished for 8212; bat first. In return, they also managed to record a handsome victory, though against a very weak looking side. But all of that will do a lot of good to their confidence before they meet New Zealand again.

NEGATIVES

8226; The Indians do not seem to learn from mistakes. The batting line-up is still far from settled and the seniors aren8217;t among runs. But more than anything, it was the manner in which the dismissals took place that should keep them worried. Sourav Ganguly lost his wicket to what looked like almost a planned attempt to get rid of the southpaw. The Indian skipper 8212; trying to pull Ireland 8212; handed a catch to Ewing in the most common fashion.

8226; Mohd Kaif 8212; inspite of the well-paced innings of his 8212; failed to restrict himself from the same mistakes as in the last match, though this time being lucky. Firstly, bringing him top of the order once again proved to be a repeat of the earlier experimentation. But Kaif himself has in the past admitted that he is more comfortable lower down the line-up. All that apart, a few shots 8212; particularly the slice that fell short of third man 8212; showed how eager the Indians were to break through the shackles.

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8226; The Indians once again failed to counter the new ball and were especially found wanting against the bowling of Heath Streak. The Zimbabwean speedster troubled the top-order and it was only after his departure that the Indians got back to do some quality scoring.