England played better, with more intent and they won

this is not the time to burn effigies since showing disappointment doesn't mean demeaning yourself. india got it wrong tactically and that happens even to the most hardened, analytical business heads. dhoni made mistakes and i am sure he knows he made them and who knows he might emerge a better captain after this.

if there is one aspect that stood out for me it was that india played cautious cricket. this is not a format that allows such an attitude and maybe india were uncomfortable with their new reputation and felt the need to play to it. it is an interesting evolution that has many parallels.

teams that are not expected to win play fearlessly and surprise people, even win sometimes. then the expectations around them rise and they feel the need to play differently to live up to those expectations. but that is something they are neither comfortable with nor experienced at. the trick (and as i write this i am acutely aware, as i have often stated, that the game is easier from 100 yards away!) is to stay as close to your natural style as possible.

you could sense the caution in the thought behind sending jadeja at no 4. it was a situation that was crying out for yuvraj. people rise in the eyes of the world when they take on the opposition and play a match winning innings. this had to be yuvraj's moment. i am sure as a senior player he could have made a strong case for batting himself and hopefully he did.

there will be much breast beating, much analysis but in the end the better team on the day won. india had the greater potential, were the better side on paper, but that counts for little. england played better, with more intent and they won.

in the end, it is a sport and we must move on.