India can pull it off
Greg Chappell says India has the firepower to overcome Australia.
Ten Rules for Sunday
Alfred Satish Jones prepares for the big match.
Tendulkar, Dravid hold key to India's fortunes
Vivian Richards says every team is due a hiccup in a tournament. Will Australia hang on for one more game?
Fast and short
Whether it lasts a few balls or a few overs, the Lee-Sachin battle will be the high point of the eighth World Cup, says Peter Roebuck.
Give as good as you get
Our cricketers are loved, revered, even deified by one and all. Do they have the sensitivity and the humility to give back something in return, asks Sunaad Raghuram.
You don't win silver, you lose gold
Sourav Ganguly will need to think out of the box if India is not to end as the No.2 of the World Cup, says Suresh Menon.
Left arm over -- and out
Ashish Nehra is the poisoned arrow in the Indian quiver, says Prem Panicker.
India must guard against complacency
Barry Richards says often crunch games can throw up surprises beyond expectations.
You have to plan for each Australian
Bob Woolmer says only India looks capable of beating the Aussies.
The signs say it
Sujata Prakash says fate is on India's side.
Bowlers India's biggest plus
India, says Barry Richards, are in a situation where they are more certain of a place in the final than Australia.
Complete India ready for final
India, says Daniel Laidlaw, have demonstrated a completeness that marks them as at the least a likely finalist.
India's success should be enshrined
The win over New Zealand, says Greg Chappell, again highlighted the Indian team's considerable transformation.
Waugh and Ganguly have a lot in common
Peter Roebuck says this World Cup has confirmed the vital part played by captains in the formation and outlook of their teams.
The medium is the message
Fans, followers and fanatics owe a small debt of gratitude to the TV commentators who spurred the team on with their caustic comments, says Pritam Sengupta.
The early bird gets the sofa
The game was done in half an hour. Was this the greatest match of our lives, asks Alfred Satish Jones.
What's up, Mr Dalmiya?
Why is the BCCI chief so insistent on India playing Pakistan, asks Prem Panicker.
So near, yet so far for Kenya
Peter Roebuck says self-destructive tactics cost Kenya the match against India.
Sehwag's poor form is worrying
The India opener needs to show more maturity and application to be counted among the best, says Vivian Richards.
'Ganguly's return to form is a plus for India'
As each game goes by, India look the side most likely opponent to challenge the Australians, says Greg Chappell
'Two weeks notice' for Wright
The India coach and his 'Boys in blue' enjoy a well-earned holiday.- Diary
India looking good to enter final
Vivian Richards says India will go far in the World Cup if Tendulkar continues in the vein he is in.
Right-arm over to God
How does Sachin Tendulkar have so much courage, certitude and cool? And why does it elude us all, asks Krishna Prasad.
Team building, brick by brick
As India enters the Super Sixes, Prem Panicker assesses its strengths and weaknesses.
Saturday thoughts on a Sunday afternoon
A series of 'silly points', from Prem Panicker.
India looking good to make final
Bob Woolmer lauds the showing of the Indian fast bowlers in the World Cup.
The greatest one-day innings ever!
Sachin Tendulkar has produced the most astonishing innings seen in 50-over cricket since the matches began, says Peter Roebuck.
India, Pakistan and America
On the Rajasthan stretch of the international border, the rumour mills are whirring that mobile transmission units are active on the other side, just to disturb Doordarshan's relay of Saturday’s match.
Exclusive: When Sachin played for Pakistan
Sachin Tendulkar, India's pride and joy, first stepped on to an international field for Pakistan, says Hemant Kenkre.
Pride by Proxy
When Tendulkar bats, tell yourself: 'Unhappy the country that has no hero'. If Tendulkar gets out, adds Siddhartha Deb, tell yourself: 'Unhappy the country that needs a hero'.
India peaking at the right time
'India can boast the best pace attack they have ever had and on wickets that give assistance to swing and seam, they could cause Pakistan's heavily out of form batsmen problems,' says Asif Iqbal.
India was the team of the week
And Ashish Nehra the best bowler, says Peter Roebuck.
War in pajamas
The Indians, says Sujata Prakash, go into the match against Pakistan as favorites, but only slightly.
'India-Pak game could restart peace process'
Pakistan team manager Shahryar Khan on sporting contact between India and Pakistan.
India has the upper hand: More
Former India 'keeper, now selector, on the atmosphere when India and Pakistan meet.
Riding the Brandwagon
An India-Pakistan encounter become something more than a cricket match when the media-marketing combine realised that patriotism could sell toothpaste, cars and referigerators, says Suresh Menon.
Who cares about the other side?
Anita Nair explains why watching India playing on TV is special for her.
The Global Reality Show
India versus Pakistan: Who will win? Who will lose? Who cares, says Pratik Kanjilal.
'Gentlemen, Play!' says GenNext
One is Indian, the other is Pakistani. Vinutha & Zebunnisa are young girls studying in England. And both want to exorcise the baggage of history.
War minus the shooting
Sport has nothing to do with fair play; it is bound up with hatred, jealousy and violence, says Sunaad Raghuram.
Sambar Power
What happens when an Indian stirs up the potent brew for his Pakistani room-mate five years running? Both parties survive and develop a healthy disrespect for the 'kachra' dished out by experts and ex-players.
Puppets On A Chain
Never mind the stereotype. On the playgrounds, cries of 'Shoaib, Shoaib' can change into cries of 'Sachin, Sachin' all in the space of a over, discovers Sundar Sarukkai.
The view from within
In the madrassas of Bangalore, cricket fever catches on -- and team loyalty is the talking point.
India's confidence will be the key: Atherton
Former England captain Mike Atherton feels India can easily beat Pakistan.
Pakistan will come hard at India
The Pakistanis, says Vivian Richards, play with more guts, more desperation and more aggression when they meet India.
'I say, what a match'
Albert Botelho relives the moments of India's victory over Pakistan in the 1996 World Cup match in Bangalore.
India's batting vs Pakistan's seam attack
How the teams perform under pressure holds the key in the crunch match, says Bob Woolmer.
Against all odds
Sunaad Raghuram on cricketers who have overcome disease and deformity in their quest for
excellence.
Real women can't watch cricket
...and real men don't play it, says Dhanu Nayak.
What's the score da?
Alfred Satish Jones captures the mood of US-based Indian fans watching the World Cup.
Commonsense prevailed when India batted: Chappell
Former Australia captain Greg Chappell reflects on India's easy victory over Zimbabwe.
Cricket in Thurber country
Excited analyses of the pitch and swing are now part of the animated conversations at Ohio State University, says Nikhil Moro.
Sadness beneath the smiles
Peter Roebuck soaks in the atmosphere at Harare as India beat Zimbabwe.
Stumping Ms Goretti
Ashish Magotra checks out how much the television presenter knows about cricket.
Indian batsmen seem mentally fatigued
Vivian Richards says the tour of New Zealand was not the proper preparation for the World Cup.
This commentary circus
Sunaad Raghuram is upset at the television channel which has the overall rights for the World Cup.
Remember the opposition
Talking of the genius of our players is ultimately self-defeating because the only way of measuring their ability is in conditions not in their control, against teams that don't act as the script demands, says Siddhartha Deb.
Captain clueless
Prem Panicker demands some answers from Sourav Ganguly.
Aussies awesome
Daniel Laidlaw says Australia produced an outstanding display of intense one-day cricket against India that emphatically stated their 2003 credentials.
Why should India win all the time?
Why does a nation of spineless, riskfree coasters expect victory from its cricketers each time they step on the field, asks Krishna Prasad
Gillespie was outstanding
Glenn McGrath says the problem with India against Australia was they tried too hard.
Men in blue beaten black and blue
India's dismal showing against Australia has even irked fans on the American east coach, says Mark Bradshaw.
Licence to bet
Are news organisations acting as publicists for betting syndicates, asks Rajeev Pai.
The Ramavilasa Road racehorse in 300 club
The culture and ethos of the city he grew up in, and the grounds he practiced and played on, defy the silent and sterling contributions of Javagal Srinath, says Sunaad Raghuram
Why India can win this World Cup
Ashok Karanth presents a very possible scenario that can unfold.
Lala XI Vs Dada XI
Raju Bharatan pits 11 players of yesteryear, who have not played a single one-dayer,against those of the current India side.