Bowling remains a worry for the Indians

Nothing short of a revelation. That's what I'd say about India's improved performance, and that too against Sri Lanka. Nobody, in their w...

Nothing short of a revelation. That8217;s what I8217;d say about India8217;s improved performance, and that too against Sri Lanka. Nobody, in their wildest dreams would have expected such a one-sided encounter against the reigning world champions.

Ganguly and Dravid are both at the peak of their careers and can be counted among the world8217;s best. It was a sheer treat to watch them unleashing some of their trademark shots, and that too to all corners of the ground with amazing regularity. Surely, they must have batted with the assurance that Sachin was still to come out to bat. It enabled them to bat freely as they did.

Unfortunately for Sachin himself, he did not get many overs to bat, but Ganguly and Dravid more than made up for that by batting like batsmen dominating the bowling in so authoritative a manner, and that too in England.

By winning the match against Sri Lanka, India have more or less assured themselves of a place in the Super Six. Their chances were bleak after they lost to Zimbabwe. The Indian battinghas always looked strong on paper, and now with the frontline batsmen striking form, they must be looking forward to putting up big totals whenever asked to bat first. That this has happened without Tendulkar contributing have done a lot to their confidence.

What they will have to be cautious about is that while batting second, they should not make the mistake of losing early wickets. When the need of the hour is to take singles and twos, they must not panic and go in for big shots and thereby throw wickets.

The Indian bowling, though, is a bit of a worry. Much was expected of Agarkar, but he8217;s failed to adjust to the slow English conditions. Mohanty, on the other hand, grabbed the opportunity with both hands, but the real test for the Indian attack will come during the Super Six stage.

While more or less we can rest assured with the batting, it remains to be seen how the bowlers perform, for they can possibly hold the key to the outcome of the matches to follow.