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Bowling and fielding have become a bugbear for Team India at the World Cup Cricket 2011 and this has taken a toll against England even though the match ended in a draw.

Though India’s batting remains among the best, a weak bowling line up (with pacer Zaheer Khan and spinner Harbhajan Singh being India’s two frontline bowlers) along with some shoddy fielding could dent India’s chances of clinching the World Cup, despite being the world’s top team in Test cricket.

India won the toss and chose to bat. This time it was batting legend Sachin Tendulkar who came to the rescue with his brilliant 120 of 115 balls, helping India mop up a total of 338 for all out. This is his 47th century in one-day matches.

This is the second time India scored 300-plus runs in its two matches at the World Cup. Tendulkar was supported by Gautam Gambhir, who scored 51 and Yuvraj Singh (58 runs).

England was off to a good start with openers Kevin Pietersen (31) and captain AJ Strauss adding 68 runs for the first wicket. Munaf Patel’s super caught-and-bowled wicket saw Pietersen, one England’s top batsmen, walk back to the pavillion.

Strauss played a superb knock of 158 in 145 balls. He was supported by Yardy, who hits 13 runs of 10 balls and TT Bresnan (14 runs in 9 balls).

Among Indian seamers, Patel gave 70 runs and took two wickets while Piyush Chawla took 2/71 and Harbhajan managed only one wicket. The best bowler was Zaheer Khan who picked up three wickets for 64 runs in 10 overs and also took the crucial wicket of Strauss.

India’s batsmen have been doing their job well. However, unfortunately they are being let down by the bowlers and even the fielding is sloppy. Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted that India could have won the England match with a better fielding side.

Team India is playing against Ireland on March 6. Although India doesn’t need to put in much effort in this match, the real test will come when India play South Africa. Winning the match will be crucial as it will come as a huge morale booster for Team India.

India is likely to reach the semi finals without much difficulty, considering there are only four teams in group B (South Africa, West Indies, South Africa along with India) that are regular one-day teams. But Bangladesh could turn out to be the dark horse in the group.

At the semi finals, India will have to ensure that even its bowlers work in tandem with the batsmen in order to reach the finals and win the World Cup.

Team India has crossed a huge hurdle, beating Australia with India’s weakest area — fielding — becoming its strength, allowing the team to save 20-30 crucial runs, and this, along with consistent batting and bowling turned out to be the match winner for India.

Of course, Yuvraj was the star again and the batting line up also showed its strength but the inane run out of Gautam Gambhir was uncalled for. Even the bowlers have put curbs on the Aussies but Ricky Ponting managed to notch a century after being out of form for some time.

Overall, the day was India’s and Australia was beaten hands down in all departments of the game despite the match being almost a cliffhanger.

Team Australia wasn’t really consistent in its batting. Watson and Hadding opened and added 40 runs before Watson was bowled by Aswin for 25. Among the high scorers was Hadding at 53, who was caught by Raina and bowled by Yuvraj Singh.

It was Ponting who gave direction to the batting, scoring 104 of 172 balls before being caught by Zaheer Khan of Aswin’s bowling again.

From then on, the only other consistent batsman was Hussey, who notched 38 of 44 balls.

Among India’s bowlers, Zaheer, Yuvraj and Aswin managed two wickets each but Yuvraj was the most economical bowler, giving away 44 runs in his 10 overs. Well, Yuvraj has proved his critics wrong that he is getting old and is showing signs of inconsistency.

In fact, he is leading the race for the Man of the Series award at the World Cup with his all-round performance.

The Indian batting was consistent with master blaster Sachin Tendulkar (53 runs), Gambhir (50 runs) and Yuvraj (57 runs) scoring half centuries.

Even Suresh Raina pitched in with his 34 of 48 balls. In fact, it was the battle of nerves that helped India trump Australia. And, the crucial partnership of Yuvraj and Raina took India to victory.

But in Mohali on March 30, it will be a different ballgame altogether with India meeting arch rivals Pakistan. Despite being riddled by a litany of scams, the resilient Pakistan side is in top form now.

The team has not only beaten Australia by four wickets but won against West Indies by a whopping 10 wickets in the quarter finals. Pakistan’s batting as well as bowling line up look devastating and it is going to be a fierce battle in Mohali.

There is a couple of jinx though: Pakistan has never beaten India in a World Cup match and India has never beaten Pakistan in Mohali. Now, it is to be seen which of the two is broken.

India needs to show consistency again to beat its neighbour and reach the World Cup Cricket 2011 final.

Well India has pipped West Indies or Windies to take the second spot in group B in the Cricket World Cup but a rerun of the batting collapse could hinder progress on Thursday when Team India take on mighty Australia for a berth in the semi finals.

It’s good to see Yuvraj repeat his all-round performance and Zaheer Khan has also started looking menacing. But India’s USP, its batting, is beginning to crumble, something India cannot afford to repeat in its match against the Australians.

India cannot afford to bank on a single player like Yuvraj if it wants to take on the Aussies and it will have to be a team effort on part of India if it wants to go any further.

In the West Indies match, India won the toss and chose to bat and was dismissed for 268 again after a collapse of the batting order. In the World Cup against the Aussies, India needs to score at least 320 plus runs if it wants to pull off the match.

Against the Windies, India’s batting order crumbled with the last seven wickets falling for just 50 runs and this shoddy show somewhat eclipsed Yuvraj Singh's efforts.

West Indies found a bowling star in Ravi Rampaul, who notched his career-best of 5-51. One of the key wickets he claimed was that of Sachin Tendulkar's and also Gautam Gambhir.

Yuvraj and Virat Kohli, with a score of 59, managed a 122-run partnership before Kohli was bowled out by Rampaul.

Soon after, Yuvraj reached his century (in 112 balls) but before that Mahendra Singh Dhoni was out for 22. From then on, the batting line up began to crumble.

During batting, West Indies looked menacing, with a score of 154 for two after 30 overs. But, like their rivals India, the West Indies batting order collapsed and the team was dismissed for meagre 188.

West Indies started on a high note with Devon Smith and debutant Kirk Edwards performing impressively before the latter was out leg before by Ravichandran Ashwin.

Darren Bravo, who scored 22, also looked dangerous but fell to the off spin of Suresh Raina. Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan added 63 for the third wicket before Smith was bowled out for 81.

From then on, the West Indies did not seem to be a threat to India any more. The team lost wickets at regular intervals and fell short of India's total (by 80 runs) and will have to brace for a showdown with Pakistan in the quarter finals.

Australia’s morale will be a tad low owing to its defeat against Pakistan, while India’s win over the Windies will come as a morale booster, and moreover, with Zaheer Khan showing consistency, India just needs to resurrect its batting. With some tight fielding also, Australia could be conquered.

It may have been sweet revenge for Team India which crushed Bangladesh by 87 runs (in World Cup 2007 India was beaten by the Bangla team) in the first match of Group B as well as the tournament, courtesy Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli, but India needs to pull up its socks to arrest the shoddy fielding and even the bowlers, especially the seamers, need to be more destructive on the field to see a win against England on February 27 (Sunday).

However, in the first match, India has showed that its batting line up could turn out to be virulent.

But Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that at least 10 crucial runs will have to be saved in every match before Team India can aspire to beat the top teams and wrest the World Cup.

In today’s match, India opened with its favourite pair - Sachin Tendulkar and Sehwag. India started accelerating at a strong pace right from the start, with the opening duo setting the tone at 60 for no loss, when it was felt that India would have a huge score.

But just when Tendulkar looked strong, he was run out after a shot to mid on. He scored 28. Gautam Gambhir, who was picking up runs steadily, was bowled out cheap at 39.

Then came in Kohli, who scored a century (100 not out), and Sehwag (who was out for 175, becoming the second-highest Indian scorer after Sourav Ganguly in a World Cup).

India notched a total of 370 for four wickets.

India’s bowling was hardly impressive. Bangladesh was off to a flying start at 51 for no loss only after five overs. From then on, wickets fell at regular intervals.

Despite some useful partnerships, India’s total was beyond Bangladesh’s reach. Munaaf Patel notched (4 wickets for 48 runs), Zaheer Khan (2/40) and Harbhajan Singh (1/41) and Yousuf Pathan (1/49) but Sreeshanth’s failed to click.

Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal scored 70 along with skipper Shakib Al Hasan 55 were the top scorers and runs by Imrul Kayes (34) and Junaid Siddique (37) were also useful.

Bangladesh managed to score 283 for nine in 50 overs. But the man of the match was awarded to Sehwag.

But the match against England will be a bigger test India. England not only managed a 67-run win against Pakistan in a practice match but its key batsman and captain Kevin Pietersen is in good form and its players to watch are off-spinner Graeme Swann and batsman Jonathan Trott, who is in top form.

Unlike Bangladesh, England will be different ballgame and can Sehwag play another aggressive knock, considering England’s bowling line-up is not as strong as its batting and fielding, giving Indian batsmen another chance to come out of the pitch and have another go?

Batting, India’s only forte, has seen a collapse in the match against South Africa, leading to India’s defeat in a cliffhanger.

This sloppy batting can pose a potential threat to the Indian team, especially during the qualifying matches of the World Cup, which India will have to play against the regular one-day teams.

So, with the end of the South Africa match, India has proved shoddy in the field, with the bat as well as in bowling. India will need a miracle now to stay in the race for the World Cup (not that miracles don’t happen!!).

Even Yuvraj Singh’s all-round skills have fizzled out. The only saving grace is that Sachin Tendulkar is in top form and has reached his 48th century in one-day matches and 99th in international cricket, something no other player is even closer to establishing.

Team India’s batting line up fell like nine pins when it lost nine wickets with a score of 29 runs only. This is perhaps the lowest score by any team for the last nine wickets in this year’s World Cup.

Even India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was miffed with Team India’s performance saying, “Some players were playing to the gallery instead of playing for the country.”

When India started its game, it looked like the team could easily notch a score of nearly 350 runs. But the batsmen played like greenhorns, managing to set a measly target of 297 runs.

India was 267-1 once, but lost the remaining wickets in only nine overs ending the game at 48.4 overs. Appalling!

Sachin Tendulkar scored a century, Sehwag notched 73 and Gautam Gambhir 69. Sachin and Sehwag took India to the first century. Then Tendulkar and Gambhir managed India’s only other partnership. Daryl Steyn was deadly, notching five wickets for 50 runs.

South Africa built its innings meticulously, with Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla hitting half centuries and AB de Villers scored a quick 52 in 39 balls to keep the team on track for victory.

Harbhajan is also coming back to form (with his three for 53). Munaf Patel managed 65 for 2 and Zaheer Khan 43 for 1. India’s fielding was at its shoddy best and crucial catches were dropped by Yuvraj and Gambhir.

A visibly upset Dhoni said, “We lost too many wickets in the powerplay round and could not play the full 50 overs.”

Dhoni had tried to tweak the batting order (putting number seven batsman Yusuf Pathan at number four, for instance) but did not find any success with the move.

Now, luck will have to play a big game to lift India from this hangover. India should ensure that its batting line up does not collapse like it did with South Africa so that at least a big score could somewhat help cover up for the sloppy bowling and fielding and give it some chance to clinch the World Cup trophy.

India had to chase only 190 against the Netherlands, which is not a regular one-day playing side, and managed to do so only after losing five wickets, giving a clear indication that India’s batting might is now beginning to crumble. The Netherlands scored 189 in 35 overs while India managed 191 for five in 36.3 overs.

And again, the star was Yuvraj Singh, who held fort during India’s batting. This inconsistent batting could spell trouble for India in the matches against West Indies and South Africa.

Not winning the two matches can take India to the quarter finals but a victory would not only give India a clear-win record but also boost the morale of the team members.

If India cannot top the table and even Pakistan falls in the pecking order in its group, then the meeting of the two Asian giants could be postponed till at least the semi finals.

According to Dhoni, though the fielding has been tight, India’s lower order should not have finished off the match. India’s bowling has shown some improvement though.

Dhoni said, “There was nothing there for fast bowlers at the Feroze Shah Kotla, and so, Ashish Nehra was replaced by Yusuf Pathan (who didn’t manage to take a wicket though). It is better to use spin bowlers upfront and the seamers later.”

Again, Zaheer Khan picked up three wickets, Piyush Chawla managed two and Ashish Nehra one. PW Borren was the highest scorer for the Netherlands, scoring 38 not out in 46 balls.

For India, Sachin Tendulkar (27 runs) and Virendra Sehwag (39 runs) added 69 runs when Sehwag fell to Pieter Seelar.

Yuvraj was the star, scoring 51 not out, and clinched the Man of the Match award again. This time, he again put up an all-round show taking two wickets. Besides Tendulkar, Sehwag and Yuvraj, the only other batsmen who showed some consistency was Gautam Gambhir with his 28 of 57 balls.

Netherlands captain Peter Borren showered praises on his team, saying, “I am proud of my boys. Hats off to Pieter Seelaar for picking up three wickets, including that of Tendulkar and Sehwag.” Borren felt that around 230 would have been a competitive score.

Batting, which is Team India’s forte, seems to be falling apart against an inexperienced team such as the Netherlands.

The bowlers have been average and Yuvraj (who is not a regular bowler) had to step in to save the day for India again. So, to move ahead in the World Cup, either Team India or Yuvraj will have to be consistent and if both show consistency, the World Cup trophy will not be far away.

Amid its shoddy bowling and fielding, India has seen a star bail the team out in the World Cup match against Ireland. Yuvraj Singh was declared Man of the Match for his all-round role: taking five wickets and scoring half a century.

Besides Yuvraj and Zaheer Khan, the other bowlers failed to make much of an impression, especially spinners Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh, who could not take advantage of the turn the pitch offered.

India must tighten its bowling as well as fielding, especially against South Africa, which falls in the same group, and Pakistan and Australia of group A which India could face from the quarter finals.

Team India can almost assure itself a place in the quarter finals. But not performing well in the group could see it facing Pakistan in the quarters itself. This is something fans of both countries wouldn’t want.

During the match against Ireland, the vistors were dismissed for only 207, thanks to Yuvraj, who tore apart the Irish batting line up despite not being a regular bowler.

Though Zaheer Khan managed to do the damage early with the wicket of Paul Stirling for 0, he did not look menacing even though he managed three wickets. Ireland skipper William Porterfield scored 75 before being caught by Harbhajan of Yuvraj’s bowling.

It was Yuvraj again who had to show direction to the Indian batting. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir fell cheaply and then Sachin Tendulkar (38 runs), Virat Kohli (34 runs) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (34) notched decent scores.

Yuvraj scored 50 runs and was partnered by Yusuf Pathan, who managed a hurricane 30 not out of 23 balls with his big hits to give India a five-wicket victory with a total of 210 for 5 wickets in 46 overs.

With this win, India is at the top of group B and will sail into the quarter finals. If the current group positions are maintained (that is, if Pakistan can also stay at the top of its group), then an India-Pak clash could be postponed till at least the semi finals or even the finals.

Pakistan is looking menacing and India will have to spin out some magic if it wants to overpower its arch rival.

Yuvraj will have to play a similar role with Pakistan: that of an all-rounder but he must keep in mind that it is not Ireland this time and even India’s bowlers have to ball tight to restrict Pakistan from scoring big for India to get a chance to trump its neighbour.

Well, India has finally won the World Cup Cricket 2011 and it was captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s rock-solid performance that did the trick for which he won the Man of the Match award.

Dhoni just showed he is not only a captain but a match winner in India’s most crucial game ever: the World Cup Cricket 2011. He displayed his tremendous resilience when India lost two crucial wickets of Virendra Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar early and was literally hobbling under pressure.

For Sri Lanka, Mahela Jayawardene notched 103 runs of 88 balls and was supported by Kumar Sangakkara who missed his half century, scoring 48 in 67 balls.

Zaheer Khan took two wickets in the match and was declared joint highest wicket taker in the tournament along with Shahid Afridi with 21 wickets each. Yuvraj Singh also showed his bowling prowess, bagging two wickets in the finals.

India had to chase 275, which may look achievable normally but not in a World Cup final. The Indians held their nerves and Gautam Gambhir with his 97 and Dhoni with 91 helped India achieve its historic win even though India lost two crucial wickets early.

Youngster Virat Kohli also did his bit with his 35 of 49 balls. Some help from Yuvraj helped Dhoni finish the match in style: with a six.

The Man of the Tournament wasn’t really unpredictable: Yuvraj, who was in all-round form, also bagged four Man of the Match awards.

The Indian team had played like champions right from the onset of the knock out stage, knocking out mighty Australia in the quarter finals and arch rivals Pakistan in the semi finals.

Team India has been performing splendidly in the last few years. It not only became winners of the first Twenty20 World Cup but also clinched the top ranking in Test cricket for the first time ever. And now, the World Cup.

This stunning performance of India is owing to the lethal Dhoni-Garry Kirsten combination, which has put Indian cricket on a new pedestal.

But Kirsten is set to relinquish his post as coach and the Board of Control for Cricket in India or BCCI must find a way to retain him if it wants to see more successes for Team India.

The BCCI cannot afford to lose Kirsten to another team because he can replicate India’s great World Cup show elsewhere.

Also, this win comes as a fitting accolade to the greatest cricketer ever, Sachin, who has been waiting for two decades to pick up the coveted World Cup. Sachin had everything in the game of cricket except the World Cup, and now, he has that also.

Sachin admitted that winning the World Cup was the proudest moment of his life. In the World Cup, he scored 482, just behind Sri Lanka’s Tilakratne Dilshan.

Team India has bagged the top slot in Test cricket, and now, it has showed that it is the best one-day side. But the biggest challenge that lies ahead for Team India is retaining these titles in both formats of the game and Dhoni will have to be more than champion material to see his team stay on top.