I am very excited about this Indian team. I think they are truly different from Indian teams of the past, and this was manifest in the recovery they made from a position of 87 for 5. They have fought back from the brink a lot in recent times. What is heartening about these recoveries is that, unlike in the past, they haven't taken place because of an innings of individual brilliance, with extraordinary shots and risks that came off on a particularly day. Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif fought back in a calculated, sensible manner, a disciplined approach which is more likely to pay off than the heroics-centred approach of the past. This new Indian team has character.

Having said that, the increased necessity for a rearguard action in the recent past has come about because the top order hasn't been doing too well. Sometimes, the early batsmen can get a bit complacent because of the depth of batting in the team. Having a strong batting line-up can actually work against you! However, I don't think today's collapse was down to over-confidence or a relaxed attitude.

Some of the batsmen looked tired, which is only natural after the amount of cricket they have played in recent times. And besides, there was Douglas Hondo, a bowler the Indians are quite uncomfortable against. He bowls at less than medium-pace and puts a lot of effort into his bowling, hitting the surface very hard, which makes the ball dart off the pitch and sometimes bounce unexpectedly. This is not something you will see with a quicker bowler like Heath Streak, who releases the ball and doesn't put so much energy into the actual moment of delivery. Hondo bowled with a lot of control and got the ball to seam around a fair bit, and the Indians, who might have underestimated him a bit, will play him with more respect in the future.

Sourav Ganguly will be disappointed with the way his spinners bowled. They could not exploit the conditions at all, and are a problem area for India right now. Even if India put up a big score for their opponents to chase, the Indian spinners allow their opponents to build partnerships in that crucial space between overs 16 and 35. While Anil Kumble at least tries to take wickets, I get a feeling that Harbhajan Singh is quite happy just to finish with an economical analysis. It would serve India better if he tried to get batsmen out with deceit and guile rather than keep the run rate down.

Sanjay Manjrekar, the mainstay of India's batting in the late 1980s and early '90s, will be providing an Expert View for all of India's matches in this tournament, as well as the semi-finals and final. He was talking to Amit Varma.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd