For the fourth game in a row, famously mercurial India kept their cool and delivered. In the previous matches, it was the Indian batsmen who got the plaudits, combining subcontinental flair with a temperament and consistency one would normally associate with an Australia or a South Africa. There was more of that today, but the most heartening aspect of this game was the Indian bowling. Ashish Nehra has been remarkable in the three games he's played in this series. He used the conditions well, was spot on with his line and length, and swung the ball beautifully. Time and time again he beat the bat and barring one wayward over late in the innings, it was hard to get him away for runs, even when Sanath Jayasuriya was at the crease.

However, although Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar have grown into excellent bowlers at the death, neither of them have looked the part with the new ball, though Zaheer bowled better today first up than in previous matches. He has a tendency to be wayward, and when bowling to someone like Jayasuriya in the first 15, that can prove costly. He bowled short to Jayasuriya a couple of times, was duly punished, and, perhaps instructed to cramp him for space, pitched it on his pads as well a couple of times. Conversely, Nehra bowled a just short-of-length in-the-corridor line to him, with the ball often deviating sharply towards the left-hander.

India's batsmen almost undid the good work their bowlers had done. After Virender Sehwag was out first ball, both Sourav Ganguly and Dinesh Mongia seemed uneasy, with Ganguly in particular playing too many impetuous strokes. Out of sorts in the series, this was a great opportunity for him to play himself into form and see his team through right till the end. Instead, he was flashing like an exhibitionist in Ibiza, and swinging like it was the `60s. A wild slash to point was dropped early on, but an expansively flirtatious off-drive with his feet stuck in the crease wasn't. His attitude was bizarre, and now that India are assured of a place in the final, he should try to play himself into form with more orthodox knocks in the next two games.

Dinesh Mongia was again unimpressive, and VVS Laxman will now certainly get his chance to bat at No. 3. He made two fifties in that position in the series against Zimbabwe, both of them at a fair clip, and his weaknesses in the one-day game – running between wickets and fielding – are both things that can be worked at, and not inherent flaws. India's early entry into the finals will give him a chance to prove a point or two. Harbhajan Singh and Tinu Yohannan should also be played in the remaining league games, especially as Yohannan's inclusion will keep Nehra, Khan and Agarkar on their toes. There's nothing quite as bracing as competition for a place in the side.

Rahul Dravid played another calm masterful knock, not getting bogged down by the early pressure, as he of all people is supposed to, but playing freely with some lovely orthodox strokes as well as a fair amount of innovative play. Yuvraj Singh supported him well, but Dravid was the star of the day, and by the time he was run out, he had won the game for India. Sachin Tendulkar has been moved into the middle order because India needed a finisher – they might just have found their man in Dravid.

Sri Lanka had another dismal day, but it is unfair to say that their bad run is due to Muttiah Muralitharan's absence. Their strategy has been awry in this tournament, especially the dubious tactic of trying out Romesh Kaluwitharana at the top of the order with Jayasuriya, with the mandate on both being to blast the bowling. They might have managed that beautifully on the subcontinental tracks in the '96 World Cup, but it was never likely to work in England. Players like Kaluwitharana and Avishka Gunawardene are subcontinental blasters who cannot be expected to get similar success elsewhere. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka's going out of this tournament might just lift the team's performance in the remaining games, given that there'll be no pressure on them. As Bob Dylan once sang, "when you ain't got nothin', you got nothin' to lose".

Amit Varma is assistant editor of Wisden.com in India.

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