5 Things: Kohli's consistency, Zimbabwe's mettle

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

1. Rivalry? What rivalry?

The atmosphere may have been electric in the stands at Adelaide Oval, but the play on the field failed to live up to the prematch hype. Once again, Pakistan failed to show up with the bat after their bowlers did very well to restrict India to what appeared to be a below-par 300 for 7, and the result became inevitable.

When looking at India's one-sided World Cup dominance against Pakistan (India is now 6-0 in all-time meetings), one can't help but recall former five-time Grand Slam tennis champion Martina Hingis' quip when asked by a journalist about what she thought of her so-called rivalry with Anna Kournikova. "What rivalry?" she responded. "I win all the matches."

Mood #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/P1gVpwtAM1

— The Bad Poet (@HashtagRao) February 15, 2015

2. Virat Kohli's efficiency is what makes his batting special

India's pre-eminent batting wunderkind is unique because he doesn't fit the mold of the modern superstar. Guys like Chris Gayle, David Warner and Brendon McCullum attract attention because of their boundary-hitting power. Kohli keeps his strike rate high through consistent accumulation of runs.

The initial reaction from some people at the innings break was that Kohli scored too slowly, with 107 runs off 126 balls and a strike rate of 84.92. He hit only eight boundaries along the way. However, his scoring shot percentage was 57.9 percent and he had more singles (56) than dot balls (53). Compare that to Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad, who scored 47 runs off 73 balls for a strike rate of 64.38, including five boundaries. But his scoring shot percentage was a paltry 32.9 percent, as Shehzad scored just 11 singles and had a staggering 49 dot balls. His failure to score singles and rotate the strike destroyed any chance for Pakistan to build momentum.

Kohli might not play the big boundary-clearing shots too often, but most teams would be grateful to have such supreme scoring efficiency at their disposal.

3. Zimbabwe can't be taken lightly

Entering the World Cup, Associate nations Ireland and UAE would have been targeting Zimbabwe for an upset due to Zimbabwe's perceived status as the weakest full member team in Pool B. Those fantasies might be rapidly disappearing based on Zimbabwe's performances so far on tour in Australia and New Zealand. A big chunk of credit for their dramatic upswing in fortunes must go to full-time head coach and part-time miracle-worker Dav Whatmore.

In their first warm-up match, Zimbabwe ripped through New Zealand's batting order to have them pegged back at 157 for 7 before rain cut short proceedings. Two days later, a Hamilton Masakadza century helped Zimbabwe chase down Sri Lanka's 279 for 8 with seven wickets and 28 balls to spare.

In their Cup opener against South Africa, the pre-tournament pick of many to top Pool B, Zimbabwe had them in plenty of trouble at 83 for 4 before a record-setting partnership between JP Duminy and David Miller saved South Africa.

Staring at a mountain of runs to chase, Zimbabwe's top order got off to a confident start. With the score 214 for 3 in 36 overs at the final drinks break, Zimbabwe looked to be on the brink of pulling off a massive upset before they ran out of steam. India, Pakistan and West Indies will be in for a major shock if they underestimate Zimbabwe.

4. South Africa's batting depth will put them atop Pool B

If most people were asked to choose who would score South Africa's first century of the tournament, Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and Duminy would come to mind. But it was Miller who came to the rescue for South Africa with an unbeaten 138 off 92 balls against Zimbabwe.

If anyone told Whatmore at the start of the day that his team would dismiss South Africa's top four for less than 30 runs each and still concede more than 300 runs total, he might have found it a bit farfetched. Yet the unheralded Miller showed why so many people believe this 2015 South Africa team will be the one to break the country's Cricket World Cup jinx.

5. AB de Villiers makes superhuman catches look ordinary

Cricket captains traditionally are reluctant to field on the boundary because it can present communication challenges when directing traffic on the field. South Africa's de Villiers has no such hang-ups.

After already making a magnificent diving catch for Zimbabwe's eighth wicket, racing from slip to claim a top edge at square leg off Imran Tahir, de Villiers put himself at deep midwicket for fast bowler Vernon Philander in preparation for some wild swings from Zimbabwe's lower order.

Zimbabwe's last hope to pull off the upset was by bashing some fours and sixes; but that was effectively snuffed out by de Villiers, who sprinted 25 yards in pursuit of a flat pull shot from Solomon Mire before launching himself full-extension for another highlight-worthy grab. It has become an all-too-common occurrence for de Villiers.