Hordes of supporters were at hand during nets here on Monday morning but the Indians know that another abysmal performance, like the one against South Africa, would just as soon see them desert the sinking ship.

The defeat to South Africa rankles even the team members. The batsmen had the Proteas on the mat till the 35th over, but then failed to accelerate with wickets in hand and had to settle for a modest score on the fast, small Hove outfield. The last 10 overs yielded just 63 runs, despite the Indian team having so many wickets in hand.

This approach to the final overs is really the key to this World Cup. Unlike the previous edition in the sub-continent when the batsmen went hammer and tongs in the first 15 overs, here, it is the manner in which the teams handle the final overs that will decide the winner.

India wonhalf the battle against South Africa by keeping their wickets intact in the initial overs. But when they had to really accelerate the scoring in the last 15 overs, they faltered. They added a mere 90 overs in the last 15 overs despite having nine wickets in hand. A further 20 or 25 runs would have had the measure of the South Africans.

Certainly the team is aware of the shortcoming, but unless there is better communication between the cricket manager and captain or captain and players there is precious little that can be done. They do not need either ear pieces or hearing aids. They just need to be more communicative with each other and exchange ideas and thoughts. And frankly this is not happening.

The other problem with the team is the composition itself. The reserve strength is less than ideal. It is difficult to visualise any of the four who sat out the opening match Nikhil Chopra, Debashish Mohanty, Sadagopan Ramesh or Amay Khurasia breaking into the eleven.

Neither Chopra nor Mohanty can beslotted in as long as the three main medium pacers and Anil Kumble are in the eleven. Ramesh can play only if there is a need for an opener. He cannot fit anywhere else in the order as he does not really strike the ball. Khurasia could be an asset as a hitter but his problems are all mental. Thus there is little scope for change in the playing eleven.

The bowlers too need to lift themselves. Javagal Srinath and Ajit Agarkar were far too expensive. Besides both were no-ball prone. On flat tracks, like the one at Hove, the fifth bowler is going to take a beating. Utilising the second string of Saurav Ganguly, Robin Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and Ajay Jadeja at the right time could make a lot of difference.

With just two days to go for the match against Zimbabwe the need is to be better focused, and may be even work out some strategy. Zimbabwe will not be a pushover for sure. They are a very good all round team with some top players who really thrive under the team concept.

Still India's priority is to gainmaximum points from this and the next game against Kenya. The important thing is to qualify to the next stage. It does matter in which order the team finishes among the top three, for in the Super Six each qualifying team from a group has to play all the three qualifiers from the other group.

In this context the Indian team should not withdraw into a shell after the defeat to South Africa. They need to put that defeat behind them and get cracking. Playing at their base in Leicester and against Zimbabwe may be just the turning point for the Indians. Hopefully !