The Indians predictably reserved their best performance for the last. As has been the case over the years, Indians lived up to their reputation as slow starters two bad games to start with against South Africa and Zimbabwe. And then like a dream, India win all three to follow and now pick up their bags, not to go back home as was thought a distinct possibility, but to go to their next venue and play their first game in the Super Six.

Anshuman Gaekwad, the Indian coach with some help from Bobby Simpson has to be congratulated on keeping the spirit of the Indian players alive after ashattering start. Most satisfying performance in this deciding game against the host, culminating in a brilliant recovery by the Indians in this World Cup and those two men, I am sure, have had a bit to do with it.

Zimbabwe upset all calculations with their win over the impregnable South Africa and put great pressure on more than one team in their group. England were the most affected. Comfortable qualifiers before this game, the hosts now find themselves out of the tournament.

The Indians, who were staring down the barrel not a few days back, go into the Super Six promising much. They came into this match against England at Edgbaston with high morale, after their brilliant performance against defending World Cup champions Sri Lanka and looked to pose a serious threat to the in-form England.

England were the favourites though before the start of this crucial match and looked even more so when Alec Stewart won the important toss, Stewart and Azharuddin seemed to have switched roles when it came towinning tosses.Ganguly and Rahul Dravid continued their in-form march of the tournament into Edgbaston, but to me the man who really made the difference was Ajay Jadeja. Thirty nine off 30 balls at a stage when things were looking bad for India and the ball moving around, was really the innings that saw India score 232 and not under 200.

Once India reached 232, they knew if they bowled well they had a good chance of winning the game.

Mohanty has been a revelation in this World Cup. A simple man who transforms himself once he steps on the field with the ball in his hand, bowls the right kind of length that has instant success in England.

Mohanty's opening spell that saw him pick up Stewart and Graeme Hick early was just the starting dose the Indians needed. England never recovered from that jerky start.

They had a brief respite though with their weather lending them a helping hand and carrying the match on the reserve day. This was going to be tricky for the Indians. It was crucial that they did notlet the advantage slip, after the abandonment of the first day.

The key to India's win was that they came into the reserve day looking the same fielding side that had piled pressure on England on the first day. The pressure was never relaxed. Ganguly and Anil Kumble continued to weigh the English batsmen down with quality bowling and in the end all that proved too much for the England side and also went to prove why they are not a strong force in world cricket anymore. The dark horses of the tournament now make their exit.

It was good to see Mohd Azharuddin smiling for a change on this trip. Spare a thought for what an Indian captain has to go through head on the block a week back, a week later everybody wanting to worship him. He has seen all this before and he is seeing it yet again. What do the next three weeks hold for India's most capped captain? That will be the last thing on his mind. I can promise you. At the moment top on his priority list will be how to celebrate his team's great revival. Weshould leave him to sort that one out in peace shouldn't we?