Five things we learned in the first week of the world cup
Rahul, spinners need to click for India
KL Rahul repaid the selectors’ faith in him by producing two match-winning innings in quick succession: against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and against Australia in India’s opening match of the World Cup. He is the glue that can bind the middle order.
The rate at which he is capable of scoring bolsters India’s prospects in the middle overs. His form is crucial to India’s chances in this tournament.
The strategy of selecting three quality spinners worked a treat against Australia, with Ravindra Jadeja particularly potent.
On slow pitches, at least one of the spinners must be lethal for India to make good use of their home advantage. They got away without that happening on a flat Delhi pitch against Afghanistan because, well, it was Afghanistan but also Jasprit Bumrah’s genius and Rohit Sharma’s magic.
Against top sides, it will be a different story.
South Africa have a devastating batting unit
South Africa racked up quite a few batting records in their fearsome, clinical display of hitting against Sri Lanka: the highest innings score in a World Cup; the fastest century in a World Cup; the first instance in a World Cup when an innings saw three individual centurions. Quinton de Kock seems to have hit a purple patch with two backto-back centuries. Fast bowling has been South Africa’s traditional strength.
This time around, if the batters click as they did in their first two matches, the batting unit is destructive.
Every opposition team has been warned. Not for nothing do they sit on top of the points table.
New Zealand are no pushovers
Before the tournament, not many gave New Zealand’s aging, injury-hit side much of a chance. But their dismantling of the defending champions,
