Where to? Mohammad Azharuddin surely has played his last World Cup, if not his last game. At 36, the fire in the belly is missing and it shows in the leadership, which lacks inspiration and flair and in his mediocre record with the bat. The one really bright spark against Australia was Ajay Jadeja, who played a polished innings. He has what it takes and will bring enthusiasm to the job if he is appointed captain. I would do itnow so that he gets time to grow into the job with the help of some very good players. The presence of Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Jadeja means the future batting will not rely solely on Tendulkar.

The bowling on Friday again proved a problem. Without five specialist bowlers, India will always be under scrutiny. Ajit Agarkar has the potential to be a goodish all-rounder and should work hard on his batting to ensure that he is a real factor the next time round. He has the right attitude, but has to work to make himself respectable at number seven. This will mean that five specialist bowlers will form the backbone of the team during the next World Cup.

The Super Sixes are not over, but India now have their backs to the wall. Zimbabwe, South Africa, Pakistan and Australia must start as favourites to qualify for the semis. Though this World Cup has thrown up some major upsets, it is hard to look beyond these teams. India could take a leaf out South Africa's book. They conjured up a Houdini-like act tosomehow beat Pakistan in a game of fluctuating fortunes. It was such a pressure game, almost a final.

Pakistan will be devastated by a loss that should not have occurred. Lance Klusener won the Man of the Match award again for another scintillating performance. Pakistan were more impressive, but careless run outs and poor thinking under pressure enabled South Africa to sneak a win they didn't deserve.

It speaks volumes for the attitude which exudes from every player in the South African side. They just want to win so badly that nothing seems impossible for them. They do have problems though, the top order is really struggling with Gary Kirsten and Hansie Cronje unable to make any impact. It has been more than an Achilles' heel for the whole tournament and we have to wonder just how many times Klusener and the lower order will come to the rescue. South Africa remain favourites but watch out for the Aussies, who are starting to play really good cricket.