5 Things: India's dominance, fielding woes and those format debates

Here are five things we learned from Sunday at the 2015 Cricket World Cup:

1. Shikhar Dhawan: Zero to hero

Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan had been experiencing a rough tour of Australia. He was dropped for the final Test in Sydney and then posted 49 runs in four matches during the ODI tri-series that followed. It appeared he might lose his spot in the starting lineup for the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

But captain MS Dhoni's faith in Dhawan has been handsomely rewarded in the first two matches of the tournament. While Virat Kohli won the Man of the Match award for his 107 in India's Cup opener against Pakistan, Dhawan's 73 in that match was vital in providing a platform for victory.

On Sunday against South Africa, it was Dhawan's time to shine. After being dropped on 53, he went on to make 137 to help lead India to victory. In just a week, he has gone from being India's weakest batting link to its top-order linchpin.

2. The real edge in the field

Going into the battle of Pool B heavyweights, few people would have predicted that India would outperform South Africa in the fielding department, but that's exactly what happened in Melbourne. Hashim Amla's drop cost 84 runs, while a later spilled chance off Suresh Raina by Rilee Rossouw (on as a substitute fielder for the injured Vernon Philander) wasn't as costly but still epitomized an uncharacteristically loose effort in a department where South Africa are usually very tight.

The South African errors were magnified by India's contrasting brilliance. South Africa captain AB de Villiers is one of the world's best fielders and pulled off two runouts during the first innings. However, there was a bit of irony in De Villiers being run out by a relay from Mohit Sharma to Dhoni that cut short an attempted second run. Later, India pounced on more poor running by South Africa when Umesh Yadav fired a sharp throw from the deep, which Dhoni caught and alertly underhanded into the stumps to dismiss David Miller.

3. Sri Lanka channeling their inner Spain

As Spain showed in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, there's a fine line between being experienced and just plain old. Sri Lanka is showing similar signs of the precipitous decline that Spain went through in Brazil last summer.

During Sri Lanka's opener against New Zealand, TV analyst and former Sri Lanka batsman Russel Arnold translated a Sinhalese conversation between Tillakaratne Dilshan and his opening partner Lahiru Thirimanne after New Zealand scampered around the infield to cut off runs: "These guys get to the ball faster than us."

It was a light moment, but it held plenty of truth. Sri Lanka has the second-oldest roster in the field (average age 31) behind the United Arab Emirates (32). Afghanistan, the second-youngest team in the tournament (average age 25), looked full of energy in comparison to Sri Lanka on Sunday in Dunedin and nearly pulled off a major upset. Lasith Malinga finished with three late wickets, but his figures flattered how flat he bowled through much of the game. Sri Lanka should make the quarterfinals based on the generous CWC format, but it looks less and less likely to reach its third straight final.

4. The next World Cup cult figure is ...

Most people know little about players and teams from Associate countries, but mention any of these names -- Steve Tikolo, John Davison, Dwayne Leverock, Kevin O'Brien -- and it triggers instant recall for any cricket fan because these players produced something magical at a World Cup. Afghanistan's Hamid Hassan can now be added the list.

Afghanistan narrowly fell short of a famous win over Sri Lanka, but the fact that it came close was due largely to Hassan, who claimed three wickets in defeat, including a gem of a delivery to dismiss Kumar Sangakkara. His headband and flag-painted cheeks are already enough to grab anyone's attention, but when combined with his exceptional talent and exuberant wicket celebrations, Hassan is turning into sports' most special No. 66 since Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux.

5. Oh, and about that Cricket World Cup format ...

If anyone is eager to protest the ICC's decision to reduce the number of teams from 14 to 10 for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, you don't have to look any further than the results in the current tournament.

Encounters between Full Members have been consistently lopsided, with New Zealand's rout of England topping the list and India's heavy win against South Africa not far behind. Meanwhile, the majority of matches involving the so-called "second-tier" Associate teams, which all had to go through a qualification tournament, against Full Members have been the most compelling (the Sri Lanka-Afghanistan match being the most recent example).

Just before the start of the World Cup, ICC CEO David Richardson defended the future reduction of teams by saying the event "without exception should be played between teams that are evenly matched and competitive."

But with each game of this tournament, the calls for the ICC to re-evaluate its stance on a 10-team 2019 World Cup will grow louder and louder. Public outcry led the ICC to reverse its decision to reduce the field shortly after the 2011 World Cup. Although the chances of that happening again may be slimmer, a few more results like Ireland's win against the West Indies could force the ICC's hand.