The question uppermost is: Where do we go from here? Unlike the Olympics or World Cup soccer, we cannot set long-term targets in international cricket. Our immediate responsibility is to preserve or enhance the present status.

Fortunately, there is a pleasant respite in the form of the Indian Premier League, where the players will vie not together but against each other while doing duty for their franchise clubs. The time to play for national pride again will come soon. In fact, it will be immediately after the IPL when the Indian team tours the West Indies for a series of Test matches and ODIs, followed by a tour of England and then Australia.

An honest evaluation of India's overall World Cup performance will show a few creases of worry that have not been ironed out on account of the heat of the battle. A further setback, and a major one at that, is the departure of Gary Kirsten as not just a mentor, but as a friend, philosopher and guide that he has been to whoever has made the Indian squad in the last three years.

It is indeed sad that Kirsten has left, but a greater regret will be if we do not get a good enough replacement for the gentle genius. The hunt is on but the names that are being mentioned are not those that will inspire confidence.

It was always being mentioned that batting was our strength and the bowling somewhat weak in comparison. It so turned out that it was our batting that floundered occasionally and the attack unexpectedly rose to great heights. That is more because in Yuvraj Singh we discovered an effective left-arm spinner in his own right. The new dispensation made him a regular and not just a part-time option. Then Zaheer Khan touched a purple patch.

Perhaps the only criticism on Dhoni's captaincy was that he just could not hit upon the right combination. The embarrassment of riches he possessed made his task even more difficult. His stubborn resistance to the inclusion of young off-spinner Ravichandra Ashwin is still incomprehensible. Sreesanth may have been included as a lucky charm, but he had no business to be in the playing eleven ahead of Ashwin in the final.

Whom to play and who to leave out will continue to be the Indian team's problem. The uniformity of performances will further accentuate this problem. Take the next Test side that will be finalized. With the return of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, both Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli will have to be banished to the benches. Piyush Chawla will have to make way for another leg-spinner in Amit Mishra. Perhaps left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha will be sidelined too because of the rising success of Yuvraj as a bowler.

In comparison, the choices for the medium-pacers will be limited, but the return of Ishant Sharma cannot be ruled out. Then there is a new boy on the block, going by the name of Varun Aaron. Hailing from the Dhoni's Jharkhand, this boy is really express, with some of his deliveries touching 160 km, which is the fastest any Indian has bowled so far. They are coming thick and fast these days. Just imagine the harvest of new talent that India's World Cup triumph will bring in its wake.