Think back to the World Cups of 1992, 1996, and 1999—what’s the commonality? On each occasion, pundits, bookmakers and fans alike talked of India as a possible contender for top honours. In 1996 and 1999, as part of the Rediff team covering the competition, I’ve had occasions to chat up some of those pundits and fans—and a common thread has been found running through those conversations: "Yeah, India has this great batting line-up...yeah, true, the bowlers are a touch inconsistent...yeah, there is the odd question mark about the captaincy...yeah, teams like X and Y are far stronger and more complete...true, the Indian team has various problems that could prevent it from doing well...." "But...."