McCullum’s slippery gloves cost the New Zealanders dear

But lo and behold, the first over from Zaheer Khan itself fetched two wickets for zilch. Zaheer then went on to capture two more wickets and grab the man-of-the-match award. And I think, from the New Zealand point of view, the match was lost in the first over itself.

Considering the pitch conditions, a total of 146 couldn’t have been defended even against weaker sides than India.

However, the Kiwis could have made a match of it after India’s first three wickets, including that of Sachin’s, falling quickly. If only their wicketkeeper Brendan McCullum had not floored that simple chance off Rahul Dravid’s edge.

The dependable bat then went on to knock off the remaining runs required for the win in partnership with a promising-looking Mohammad Kaif.

Yes, that catch did cost New Zealand the match and, as a result, New Zealand’s entry into the semifinals. Now, just to make a point, look at McCullum’s mistake and the performance of South Africa’s Mark Boucher and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara.

After they have flopped so badly — if regular ’keepers can make such mistakes — why go on carping about Dravid’s occasional goof-ups? I think for a makeshift wicketkeeper, he has been doing a commendable job. And even as I write this, Zimbabwe’s Tatenda Taibu had missed a sitter off Marvan Atapattu!

Moving on, it does look like Ganguly’s wish of meeting Sri Lanka in the final also coming come true. But there are a lot of ifs and buts along the way. Firstly, Sri Lanka have to beat Zimbabwe who were so keen to present this match as a send-off gift to Andy Flower who has served the country so well for the past 15 years or so. And finally, Sri Lanka have to beat Australia in the semis to get into the final.

A task that looks rather improbable considering the Aussies’ form, with 13 successive wins already under their belt. They can lose only if they bat pretty badly on the Port Elizabeth wicket that responds to spin more than pace and is not conducive to stroke-play, something the Aussies prefer.

But at the same time, India should not take the Kenyans too lightly. They have improved in leaps and bounds through this tournament. India have got away with a lot of things in this tournament, but they shouldn’t become complacent ahead of the most important stages.