There was one thing common after the first five games involving all the 10 participating teams in this World Cup -- a lack of contest.

New Zealand thumped holders England by nine wickets in what had promised to be a blockbuster opening game in Ahmedabad after a never-experienced-before nail-biting final between the two teams at Lord's four years ago. 

Pakistan quite predictably thrashed the Netherlands by 81 runs, although the ICC associate member-nation were expected to put up a better fight after restricting the former champions to 286. 

Bangladesh won the third game by six wickets against an Afghanistan side whose batting collapsed to 156 all out after a good start. Then there were plenty of fireworks in the fourth game where South Africa thrived on three centuries to post a record World Cup total of 428 against Sri Lanka. Despite a blistering 79 from Kusal Mendis, the Lankans lost the game by 102 runs. 

The fifth game last night between five-time champions Australia and hosts India promised a cracker. But the game in Chennai failed to live up to its billing after the Aussies were bundled out for 199 against the three-pronged Indian spin attack. 

The Aussies gave India an early scare by claiming three wickets for two runs in the first two overs and almost had Virat Kohli, who mistimed a pull shot while on five. But Mitchell Marsh, who had a forgettable outing with the bat, dropped a sitter. 

After that reprieve, India were hardly troubled in reaching the victory target of 200, riding on excellent knocks from Kohli and KL Rahul. 

Although the five games are only the beginning of a long 45-match first-round fixture, the early indication suggested that the toss played a role in deciding the results. In the first four games, the team that won the toss decided to chase a target with the wicket appearing more batting-friendly in the second innings. Three of those were successful, except the Lankans who were blown away by the brute Proteas force. 

Australia are the only team who have opted to bat first on a tricky surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, anticipating the wicket to become more bowling-friendly in the second innings. But the Aussies saw everything going horribly wrong for them. They were simply outclassed by a versatile Indian spin attack. 

The results so far are disappointing for neutral fans, who want competition and close finishes more often than not. However, with the teams settling their nerves after those early jitters, we can only expect the showpiece event to start unfurling all the excitement and magic moments sooner rather than later.