As far as the Indian batsmen are concerned, they are gaining in momentum and it is now up to the bowlers to see them through. I am not in a position to comment on the match at greater length, for I was away at Amstelveen for the South Africa-Kenya encounter, but from all accounts, it was a treat I missed out on.

If they get through the league stage, the Indians could indeed be a real force and no one will want to play them, especially as Tendulkar has yet to post a score against a serious opposition. And that should be an exciting prospect. South Africa play Zimbabwe in what could be a decisive game for India.

Fortunately, points are carried forward and so they cannotafford to be complacent and will want to defeat England convincingly. All in all, the early rounds have been predictable but for a couple of surprises. The matches in prospect are mouth-watering, especially if you are an Indian. Don't be surprised if India play a whole lot better as the weather warms and the wickets dry just a little.

Looking at the tournament on the whole, it has not been everyone's cup of tea. Wides and no balls have been in evidence, far too many, in fact, but one must also add that the umpires have been very severe. Umpiring has not been at its best in the high-pressure cauldron of international spotlight. In some cases, umpires have been found wanting and even the third umpire has not avoided controversy. For me, the third umpire has been overused. Look at Northampton game between, Sri Lanka vs South Africa, where it was proved that television replays do not guarantee the correct result.

The definition of a wide is a ball you cannot reach to score off. That has clearly gone out ofthe window, and bowlers now have to pitch it on an area akin to a napkin to not incur the wrath of the umpires. All this is making the length too predictable, with the batsmen almost always knowing the length the ball will bounce.

This clearly gives them an advantage, and good batsmen become great, while great batsmen make a mockery of the game under Southern Hemisphere conditions. In England, it is very different and refreshing to see slips in operation and movement in the air and off the pitch even after 30 or more overs have been bowled.

If the umpires play their part and are a little more lenient with the wides, the one-day game will once again revert to a genuine battle between bat and ball, instead of the "slog-a-thon" it has become in some parts of the world.The white ball has been criticised as being too "sporty," but at least we have a contest. Good technique, concentration and decisive footwork will succeed, but bowlers are actually trying to get batsmen out to stop the scoring, not merely tocontain. All this brings out the thinking captain who is prepared to gamble to get wickets and results.

The heroes of the tournament so far have been Allan Donald, Wasim Akram, Darren Gough, Shoaib Akhtar et al, who must be enjoying the limelight at the world's premier one-day competition. This certainly marks a change, for it was expected that Tendulkar, Lara and Mark Waugh would hog the headlines.

I hope administrators and groundsmen have taken note of this. South Africa have cemented their status as favourites and even thought their batting is suspect, they have enough depth to ensure a competitive total. Twice now, they have been in trouble: when India was 133 for 1 after 30 overs at Hove, and when they themselves were 122 for 8 against Sri Lanka. However, inner belief and strength have seen them through with Klusener, Kallis and Donald putting in crucial performances. Only Pakistan, who have proved that they do not panic under pressure, can challenge them.