Any doubts lingering in the minds of Indian fans about whether their team can perform up to its potential, with rumours of discord between the captain and the coach doing the rounds, would have been set aside after Men in Blues' massive victory over Pakistan in their first Champions Trophy match.
The Indian team showed the kind of form and collective teamwork that won them the last Champions Trophy in 2013. Their next challenge is taking on Sri lanka who were convincingly beaten in their first match by South Africa. A victory would seal a spot for India in the semifinals. There were concerns about the form of Indian batsmen coming into the tournament but they were laid to rest through scintillating strokeplay from the top order. Both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan seemed to be in full flow while Virat Kohli too got into his stride after struggling initially.
Yuvraj seems to have regained his old touch making him one of the most fearsome strokemakers in the game. As if the Indian batting line-up didn't look intimidating enough, Hardik Pandya proved with his useful cameo at the end of the innings that his performances for Mumbai Indians in IPl were not flukes.
What would worry the lankans is the fact that Kohli has shown a special liking for Sri lanka over the years and MS Dhoni, who didn't get a chance to bat against Pakistan, also plays well against them. Hence, it is safe to say that the Indian line-up is extremely dangerous and the Angelo Mathews-led side would have to bowl out of their skins to contain them.
The lankan bowling attack seems capable but not enough to worry India. Nuwan Pradeep, who has some extra pace, did bowl a couple of good spells against South Africa. Suranga lakmal can be effective if there is seam movement available. But the trump card for Sri lanka is lasith Malinga, who judging by his precise Yorkers, has got his groove back. However, he has struggled against India in the past and has been dealt with rather severely by Kohli and Dhoni. Whether Malinga can redeem himself or continues to be ineffective against Indians could be one of the crucial factors in deciding the result of the match.
Sri lanka's batting still looks a bit fragile and with Upul Tharanga out of the game with a ban, they would be even more reliant on Matthews and Dinesh Chandimal.
The lankans badly need their young batsmen to fire. Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera are talented youngsters. The former is a compact batsman while the latter has modelled himself on Sanath Jayasuriya. Both, though, are yet to fully find their feet in ODI's.
India's bowling against Pakistan justified all the praise it had been receiving from experts. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is best suited to English conditions due to his ability to swing the ball, and Umesh Yadav, possessing raw pace, form an exciting new ball pair. Jasprit Bumrah's expertise in bowling at the death wasn't needed against Pakistan but may come in handy in this match.
The decision to keep Ashwin out raised some eyebrows but it wasn't a surprise as Jadeja's impeccable control of line and length makes him a reliable bowler even in unhelpful conditions.
India are clearly the more powerful side and seemed comfortable in English conditions. Sri lanka need something special and may bring in chinaman lakshan Sandakan to provide some variety to the attack. However, a lot more would be required to turn the tables on India.