Morning folks. Just 10 days left in the group stages of this World Cup and so every game is now taking on extra significance.
India vs
West Indies at Perth could have big significance on the Pool B table.
Victory for
MS Dhoni's reigning champions would see them become the first team from this pool to qualify for the quarter-finals, and a defeat for the Windies would leave their prospects under serious threat.
WEST INDIES WIN THE TOSS AND CHOOSE TO BAT
Windies captain
Jason Holder calls right at the toss and opts to have first go on this WACA pitch which saw Australia post a World Cup record total of 417 earlier this week. No surprise there, when you also take into account that their two victories at this tournament have coming batting first.
Dhoni does not seem to be too disappointed to be bowling, claiming that a potentially-difficult chase will do them good for the latter stages. Their only opportunity to bat second thus far came in their stroll of a nine-wicket win over the UAE last Saturday - when they were only chasing 103 to win.
There is an interesting contrast between today's captains. Dhoni is the experienced and revered leader of an Indian side which has not changed much since they triumphed under his captaincy four years ago, while the young Holder is under pressure to give this West Indies side some much-needed direction.
Here is confirmation of the two lineups. A change for either side to be discussed shortly:
INDIA: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav
WEST INDIES: Dwayne Smith, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Lendl Simmons, Jonathan Carter, Darren Sammy, Andre Russell, Jason Holder (c), Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor
West Indies are hoping to exploit the pace and bounce in Perth and bring in quickie Kemar Roach for spinner Sulieman Benn. Mohammed Shami is fit again for India and replaces Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Shami has been an important figure in an Indian attack which has surprised people with how penetrative and economical it has been in their opening three games - they have yet to concede over 230, particularly after they suffered heavily at the hands of Australia in the months prior to the World Cup.
Shackling
Chris Gayle will be another good test for them. When the destructive opener fires, West Indies tend to do well but Gayle is more hit than miss these days. He only needs two sixes to break the record for most in a tournament [18] set by Matthew Hayden in 2003. I give him a good chance.
The two sides have observed the national anthems. The West Indies' is my second favourite of the tournament behind Sri Lanka's. The players and umpires are ready. Shami to Dwayne Smith. Play!
Shami seems to rush Smith with his first couple of balls, but a short long hop allows him to get going with a fierce cut to the point boundary. A clip of his pads brings Gayle on strike and survives an appeal for an edge first ball. India were confident behind the stumps, but decide against using their review.
A good start from Umesh Yadav and he nearly gets Smith, who is again hurried into a short-arm jab which falls a few yards short of mid-off. A chop to third-man is the only run from the over.
Smith is troubled by the length and pace of Shami, who is angling the ball into his body and getting the aid of some slight in drift. The Windies opener wears one in the midriff and misses and opportunity to get down the other end as he turns down a couple of singles into the leg-side.
A great diving stop from Rahane at square-leg ensures consecutive maidens. Yadav bowls a lovely line to Gayle, who pulls his bat inside a couple but also plays and misses as he looks to feel bat on ball. Interestingly, the left-hander has a top score of four in four previous innings at the WACA.
WICKET! DWAYNE SMITH caught DHONI bowled SHAMI 6(20)This has been coming. Smith never looked comfortable with the ball angling into him and thus is eager to engineer some room to steer the ball through the off-side to a delivery on the fourth-stump line. The ball is too close to him to cut and he gets a thin edge through to the gloves of Dhoni.
A great start for India and they now get an early go at Marlon Samuels. A fine player the right-hander may be, but he is not that comfortable being exposed this early in an innings.
Gayle gets off the mark 11th ball, tucking the ball off his hip. After straying down leg, Yadav beats Samuels with a couple of outswingers as the new batsman struggles to get his feet going.
A real mixed bag from Shami, but he nearly gets a wicket! Gayle flashes hard at one outside off-stump and Yadav almost takes an incredible catch down at third-man. Diving full length to his right, he has the ball in his hands but it bounces out upon landing and he cannot grab on as it squirms loose!
WICKET! MARLON SAMUELS run out (KOHLI) 2(7)Carnage for the West Indies and it ends with Samuels on his way back to the pavilion. Gayle mistimes a pull which drops just short of the diving Mohit Sharma at mid-on. He is ball watching as Samuels looks to scamper through for one, and Kohli is alert to collect the throw and take the bails off. Gayle is to blame there. Samuels nearly got back for two but his partner was completely unawares.
The run out has made Gayle angry, and India won't like him when he's angry! He hits Yadav over mid-off for four before clearing his front leg and launching the ball over mid-wicket for six. He now only needs one more to break the World Cup record. In between, there is another lifeline for Gayle as Shami shells an almost identical catch to Yadav's in the last over. This one would have been even better!
WICKET! CHRIS GAYLE caught M.SHARMA bowled SHAMI 21(27)Despite having taken seven off the over already, Gayle cannot stop himself from going on the attack as Shami bangs one in and his wild hook picks out the only man on the square-leg boundary, where Mohit sets himself and safely takes the catch. No third life for Gayle and West Indies are in real trouble now.
WICKET! DENESH RAMDIM bowled YADAV 0(1)Oh it gets worse and worse for the Windies as Denesh Ramdin goes first ball! It is a wide half-volley from Yadav, but there is little conviction behind Ramdin's drive and he chops on to leg stump.
Lendl Simmons and Jonathan Carter have the job of steadying this sinking West Indies ship. The former gets off the mark with a clip for three through mid-wicket, and Carter sees out the rest of the final over of a bowling power play which has put India in total command of this match.
Dhoni stays on the attack as Shami continues into his sixth over. Simmons runs through for a leg bye and Carter gets off the mark by working the ball off his hip for two down to long leg.
An early roll for Ravichandran Ashwin, who will be desperate to have a bowl at these two new batsmen rather than a Chris Gayle who has his eye in. Two singles off a tidy first over.
A beautiful back punch from Carter splits point and cover and rolls away to the fence. The left-hander takes one to square-leg to complete the first over from today's star fielder Mohit.
A sweep yields Carter two and brings up West Indies' 50, but Ashwin gets the better of him a couple of times in the over. He beats him in the flight as Carter plays and misses on the drive and then deceives him with an arm ball which strikes the thigh pad, with the lbw appeal adjudged too high.
Simmons picks up a couple of singles with some good running either side of Carter slicing a drive out to third man. He played a similar shot the previous ball and nearly edged behind. Drinks.
The strike is rotated before Carter finds the boundary with a well-executed sweep. We saw Afghanistan get into some trouble sweeping on this bouncy WACA track a few days ago, but Carter had no problems there. He got low and to the pitch of the ball and hit it sweetly behind square.
A maiden for Mohit, with Simmons either choosing to leave or get in behind some back-of-a-length stuff. He is arguably the best Windies batsman from a technique standpoint and should really be batting higher up the order. I would like to see him at three and everyone else shift down one.
Ashwin has a slip and a short leg in. Simmons uses his feet to negate the threat and pushes a single to long-on. Carter chases a wide long hop and a thick edge flies to the left of Raina, who was already taking cover, and away to the third-man fence to take him to 21 off 32. Simmons is 9 off 21.
WICKET! LENDL SIMMONS caught YADAV bowled MOHIT 9(22)The short ball does the trick again as a well-directed Mohit bouncer gets big on Simmons and he cannot control a hook shot which Yadav swallows at deep square. The brief Windies reaguard is ended.
The batsmen crossed while the ball was in the air and so new man Darren Sammy, still sporting a cheeky smile even in this situation, will not face up immediately. A lot of responsibility is now on Carter, whose previous highest score in his seven one-day internationals is 40.
Sammy guides the ball behind square for two off Ashwin, who has now bowled half of his allocated 10, to get off the mark and then punches into a huge gap on the off-side to collect another run.
Another maiden for Mohit. Sammy has no intention of being drawn into playing the hook as some of his departed teammates have and ducks under a bouncer thrown down at 138kmph.
WICKET! JONATHAN CARTER caught SHAMI bowled ASHWIN 21(43)Carter looks for that sweep again, but there is that extra WACA bounce and this time he gets a top edge out to long leg, where Shami takes a good catch above his head, looking into the sun. He points skywards, laughing in muted celebration. It might have been easier if you were wearing the sunglasses that are sitting on your cap, Mohammed. Another promising start for Carter, but he cannot dig his team out of this hole.
Andre Russell is only going to play one way and he slaps his second ball over cow corner for six. Sammy is perhaps more capable of curbing his attacking instincts, but a horrible heave looks sure to see him gone as the ball goes straight up in the air, only for Ravindra Jadeja to drop the steepler. It just slipped through his fingers, but he is a good pair of hands and you would have expected him to hold that.
Russell drops one into the covers and Sammy pats back the rest of Ashwin's over.
WICKET! ANDRE RUSSELL caught KOHLI bowled JADEJA 8(8)Jadeja makes amends for his recent drop with a wicket first ball, although this can be put down to an awful shot from Russell. He tries to smash the opening ball of a new spell out of the park and loses his shape on the shot, slicing to Kohli at long-off and he does not make the same mistake Jadeja did.
Captain Jason Holder arrives at the crease in similar circumstances as he did against South Africa, where he batted maturely for a maiden ODI half-century. He is going to need all the support that he can get from Sammy, who gets two to the off-side sweeper and another single to long-on.
Sammy waits nicely for a late cut which beats Shami to his left at backward point, although a dive could have stopped it. Ashwin is now 8-0-27-1 and will probably bowl straight through.
The left-arm Jadeja can afford to give the ball a bit more flight than usual and is looking to induce another big shot from Sammy. He and Holder are content to take three singles for now.
Ashwin is actually off as Yadav comes back on for a burst at this Windies lower order. Three extras is a loose return, but he tightens up his line before Sammy guides to third-man for one. A lot of Indian blue in this picture below and they will undoubtedly be thrilled with how things are going.
Holder is a sweet timer of the ball, but he picks out the fielders until finding the gap to the off-side sweeper for a single. I don't think that he will finish his ODI career batting at nine.
It has not quite worked for Yadav in this two-over spell. He has been a bit wide and the Windies to push three singles into the off-side. His short stuff has not been on target either.
India nearly get another before the second drinks break as a Sammy leading edge just evades Jadeja as he leaps to take a return catch. Sammy takes two down to long-on.
Dhoni swaps Yadav for Mohit, who bowled with accuracy and aggression during his first spell. He strays a bit straight to begin with and Holder beautifully clips him to the mid-wicket boundary.
A single down the ground apiece takes this partnership to 32, making it the joint biggest of the innings. Windies' problem is at the top, where their opening stand averages 11 this World Cup.
Holder looks more compact than many of his top-order teammates and is tall enough to get on top of the bounce that Mohit is extracting from this wicket. Again one apiece off the over.
West Indies survive a run-out scare. Holder starts coming before Sammy sends him back. Shikhar Dhawan turns and quickly releases a throw which deflects off Holder's sliding bat, allowing him to get back before Jadeja whips off the bails. He would have been in trouble otherwise.
WICKET! DARREN SAMMY caught DHONI bowled SHAMI 26(55)Shami returns for the first over of the mandatory batting power play and gets his third wicket as Sammy fends off the shoulder of the bat behind to Dhoni trying to work the ball through the off-side
Jadeja continues and Holder decides that now is the time to go on the attack, with only two wickets remaining and the field up. He clears the rope with a heave over long-off and then picks up two stroking to the right of the same fielder. A drop and run into the off-side sees him keep the strike.
Really good from Holder. He swats Shami away with a front-foot pull for four and then swings his arms through a length ball for a straight six before farming the strike again.
Deep square comes around to prevent Holder coming back for two, but he need not worry about Taylor as the number 10 flashes a stylish cut through backward point for four.
Back into the attack comes Ashwin and Holder greets him by dancing down the track and hitting him inside out over long-off for six. A great shot from the Windies captain, and he and Taylor knock the ball around for the rest of the over to help the Windies take 11 off the final power play set.
Taylor gets away with an all-advised slog off a Yadav slower ball as Rohit Sharma shells a fair regulation catch. That was reckless from the fast bowler. He should be doing everything that he can to bat these remaining nine overs with his captain, who himself has a close shave when backing away to carve a length ball through the stretching fingertips of Raina at mid-off. He gets four for his bravery.
There are few signs that Taylor is going to go into his shell here. He gets two with a paddle sweep off Jadeja - there is no fielder on the 45° - and one with a swipe which falls short of long-on.
WICKET! JEROME TAYLOR caught & bowled YADAV 11(18)Holder goes to back-to-back half-centuries with a single wide of mid-on, but soon loses his partner as Taylor gives a simple return catch back to Yadav, a gentle top edge off a hook shot that he never should have been playing in the first place. That is Yadav done and he finishes with 10-0-42-2. Started and finished well.
Kemar Roach is West Indies' number 11 and takes a bumper on the helmet first up. The ball runs way to third-man to bring Holder back on strike and he does brilliantly to squeeze a yorker away to the point boundary, opening the face at the last minute. This has been a really good knock.
WICKET! JASON HOLDER caught KOHLI bowled JADEJA 57(79)But he cannot take his side to 200, or ensure that they bat out their 50 overs as he holes out to long-off. Jadeja was probably the right bowler to attack at this stage of the innings, but this one was not in the slot and Holder cannot really get hold of it, slicing tamely to give Kohli an easy grab.
A great effort from the Windies skipper, though, whose resistance helped his side from 85-7 to 182, but it is unlikely to be enough to pose India much of a challenge on a pretty good WACA track.
Jadeja, who finished with 2-27 from his 8.2 overs, is pretty confident going into the chase telling reporters: "Very happy we did well, now the batsmen need to bat well, especially in the first 15 overs.
"There is some grip on the pitch, initially the ball was moving around as well and our bowlers did a good job. Don't think [it should be a problem] our batsmen have been doing very well in the tournament so far."
Moving Holder up, to number seven at least, is something that the Windies really need to consider. That is now successive half-centuries and the application just isn't there elsewhere in the lower order.
For now, though, the captain has a job to do with the ball. Early wickets are his side's only chance of salvaging this game and he and Taylor must nip at least a couple out in the power play.
That will be no easy feat considering the form of the India top order. Dhawan and Kohli already have hundreds this tournament while Rohit, Raina and Ajinkya Rahane have also been in the runs.
Cricket has a funny way of coming full circle. In the 1983 World Cup final, India struggled to 183 at this very ground against a feared West Indies bowling attack, but ended up winning the match. The Caribbean outfit will be hoping that the shoe is on the other foot at the WACA today.
The start of India's chase is imminent. Fast bowling great Curtley Ambrose, now part of the coaching staff, is giving the West Indies a passionate pep talk on the outfield. I fear that won't be enough...
Here we go then. Taylor is the key bowler and he has two slips to Rohit. Play!
A decent start from Taylor. A hint of movement away from the right-hander, but Rohit and the left-handed Dhawan each get off the mark with singles behind square on the off-side.
Holder is right on the money straight away. The length is pretty full, but he is so tall that he is still getting reasonable carry past the bat and there is also some swing through the air.
Taylor is round the wicket to Dhawan and nearly sneaks a big inswinger through. He is otherwise a bit wide and Dhawan loves the room to steer through point for the first boundary.
These two have clearly batted together a lot because their running between the wickets is exceptional. They have already stolen three or four singles dropping and running.
WICKET! SHIKHAR DHAWAN caught SAMMY bowled TAYLOR 9(14)West Indies get the early breakthrough that they desperately need as Dhawan pushes his hands at a Taylor ball angling in and Sammy takes a sharp catch at second slip. Taylor is really pumped for this!
India's darling Virat Kohli is the new man in. So often he gets important runs for India chasing down much bigger totals than this. Taylor does not quite get his length right, but the speed is there at 145kmph. Kohli clips out to square-leg and only gets one despite a fumble from Dwayne Smith.
Holder's discipline had restricted Rohit to two off 13 rocks but the India opener is quick on a delivery which is a bit too full and drives through the off-side for his first boundary.
WICKET! ROHIT SHARMA caught RAMDIN bowled TAYLOR 7(18)Taylor finds another edge as Rohit feathers one through to Ramdin. It's full, it's swinging and Rohit is always a bit loose out there. Really good from Taylor, who was let down by some horrible fielding earlier in the over, but kept steaming in and got his rewards. He is giving his side some hope here.
Four for Kohli as he delightfully leans into a cover drive. Rahane, who has often been India's get out of jail card over the past 18 months, joins him and is immediately solid in defence.
Taylor just loses his line a little and Kohli takes advantage. There is very little cover on the leg side and so a check drive through mid-on beats the fielder and goes to the fence. He follows that up with a clip for two and a flick off his hip for one. You are better to be too wide than too straight to Virat.
Kemar Roach into the attack and how he goes could have a significant bearing on this game because Taylor needs some support. He starts off promisingly, beating Kohli's outside edge a couple of times. One play and miss brings an appeal and Holder is persuaded by Sammy at second slip to use his review. Nothing on Snicko and the referral is wasted, although it may have been worth a gamble with it being Kohli. Roach then strays onto his pads and gets punished to the total of seven runs.
Same story from Taylor, who either loses patience or does not have the control to maintain the fifth-stump line and Kohli's sublime timing brings him two more boundaries off his legs. The Indian could be the best on-side player in the world and the Windies are feeding him too many freebies.
Rahane has plenty of time to play himself in and is not going to be drawn into flashing at any wide ones at this stage. He waits for Roach to bowl at him and works a single to fine-leg.
Holder could have gone back to himself but instead gambles on the inconsistent Andre Russell. There is nothing too wild, but there are plenty of singles on offer and he goes for six.
Not quite the bowler that he was pre-shoulder op 18 months ago, but Roach is into a nice rhythm now and induces a nothing prod from Rahane outside off. That's a shot most unlike him.
WICKET! VIRAT KOHLI caught SAMUELS bowled RUSSELL 33(36)Huge breakthrough for India as they get the crucial wicket of Kohli before drinks. Having been dispatched by Rahane earlier in the over, Russell persists with the short-ball ploy and Kohli takes him on, only to hole out straight to Samuels in the deep. The Indian number three queries whether Russell had already exceeded his allocation of bouncers, with some justification, for the over, but is waved off the field by the umpires.
Rahane breaks his bat trying to swipe a wide yorker off a Roach free-hit and he misses a wild swing of the replacement right on the tramline. The pace is too hot for Ramdin behind the stumps and he parries the ball for a bye to third-man, bringing new man Suresh Raina on strike. He swivels off his hip for one as the ball is dug in. He can expect the length to him to be thereabouts or shorter.
More Russell short stuff. He concedes a wide for his efforts, but that will not bother him too much as he is trying to intimidate the batsmen. He forces Raina into a wild uppercut when the ball was far too close to him, although the left-hander reins himself in to play a more controlled chop to third-man.
WICKET! AJINKYA RAHANE caught RAMDIN bowled ROACH 14(33)Controversy here as Rahane fails to overturn a caught behind decision on review. He tries to guide the ball behind square and umpire Nigel Llong hears something which prompts his finger to go up. Rahane refers and, although there is only the faintest disturbance on Snicko and no deviation of the seam after it passes the bat, there is not enough evidence to overturn the original decision. I have to say it looked more like bat on pad to me. India are not going to feel any more fondly about DRS after this!
The shortest of about 15 Russell bouncers has too much on it and flies over Ramdin for five wides. That was Dhoni's first ball, and he blocks out the rest of the over. India's captain was probably not expecting to be in under such pressure today but now has a really important role to play.
Roach's figures take a hit as Raina capitalises on a couple of over-pitched deliveries to firstly stroke three through extra cover and then punch four down the ground. Roach now 1-30 off six.
No danger of there being anything over-pitched from Russell, although I can see why they would persist with short stuff at Raina. He's so far gotten away with some short-arm pulls around the corner, but he doesn't look convincing. India need 86 to win. One more wicket would spice things up.
The short-ball ploy to Raina nearly works as he miscues a pull just short of the diving Roach at short mid-wicket. It is Holder who has replaced him in the attack and he keeps banging it in, although the line of one bouncer is down leg and even Raina is capable of helping that one on its way.
WICKET! SURESH RAINA caught RAMDIN bowled SMITH 22(25)Not a short ball, but Raina is gone! Dwayne Smith is the man surprisingly thrown the ball and maybe it is the complacency of the part timer which results in Raina wafting at a wide one and edging through to Ramdin. An unexpected but great bowling change from Holder and this match is now right in the balance.
India perhaps remain slight favourites as long as Dhoni is there, so often has he seen them home in this situation. He gets a bit of fortune here as he top edges a pull clear of Ramdin for four. Another Chennai Super King comes in. Ten overs of the dangerous Jadeja should do it for India.
Smith earned himself another over with his wicket and beats the bat of Jadeja a couple of times, angling the ball across him at a good length. I would have Taylor getting loose though.
Holder has not quite got his length right in his second spell and Dhoni picks up a total of three runs working behind square on the off-side. The Windies only have 65 runs to play with and need to give Taylor a chance. He has four overs left and would definitely be worth a blast from either end.
Jadeja announces himself by flashing a Smith half-volley to the cover fence. They are the only four runs off the over, but that is comfortably enough with 23 overs left. Overs aren't an issue.
No Taylor yet as Russell comes back. This is a risk from where I'm sitting. A tame short ball is swatted away by Jadeja, but Russell follows that up with a more venomous bouncer which strikes him on the shoulder of the bat. Well played in the end as the ball goes down and they scamper one.
Finally Taylor is back and he is round the wicket to Jadeja. Six fielders inside the ring as Holder tries to restrict the singles, but the India pair still manage to find four between them. Drinks.
WICKET! RAVINDRA JADEJA caught SAMUELS bowled RUSSELL 13(23)The short ball strikes again! Russell has barely moved from whacking the middle of the WACA wicket all innings. He was called wide only a couple of balls ago for a bouncer which would have gone above Dhoni on stilts, but this one is just about accurate enough to tempt Jadeja into taking on the hook. Samuels is the man in the deep and the ball initially bounces out, but he parries it up and clings on at the third attempt.
Nerves will be increasing in the Indian dressing room now, but Ashwin is a very useful number eight. He has a Test match century to his name, but can he play the short ball better than some of his teammates? Four wickets for West Indies, 48 runs for India. It's going to be a tense finale!
There is almost a wide an over with the Windies hitting the deck hard. Ashwin gets one aimed into his ribs but gets up on his toes nicely to get two to the sweeper on the cover boundary.
A 10-run over relieves the pressure on India. Russell got away with overstepping when Dhoni hit the subsequent free hit straight to mid-on, but the Indian captain cashes in on a wider short ball by deliberately lifting his cut over the rope at third man. He moves onto 24 from 36 and holds the key.
India pass 150 and now need only 30 runs to win. Ashwin is already looking settled.
A very mysterious bowling change as Marlon Samuels comes into the attack. This match is going to be decided in the next five overs and Holder, Taylor, Roach and Russell all have some in the bank. Maybe the captain is hoping that the off-spin will tempt one of the Indian batsmen into a big heave, but there is not a shot in anger play as Ashwin and Dhoni each take a single off the stumps.
An expensive over from Roach takes India to within 19. There are two extras, taking Eddie's score to 25, while Dhoni gets three for a stylish cut to the long square boundary at Perth.
Still Samuels as the mandatory batting power play is signalled. I just don't get this, there is nobody around the bat in front of square so it is not as if the West Indies are really going on the attack. Dhoni and Ashwin take a single each into the leg-side again, with the latter patting back the rest.
Holder's inexperience as a captain may just be showing now. Dwayne Smith takes the ball with the Windies needing four quick wickets. He should have been going with his strike bowlers three or four overs ago. There are gaps aplenty and India take five runs as they ease towards victory.
Samuels's spell becomes more baffling as it enters his third over. Yes he is only going at two an over, but that is irrelevant with the scoreboard as it is. The West Indies have surrendered this match with their lack of aggression in the last five or six overs. It seems that Holder has given up.
The theory seems to be to rest his frontline seam bowlers for their final group game against UAE, which is now must win for the Windies. Smith continues and goes for eight, with Dhoni slapping a four through the off-side to help India move within two. He is 41 not out. Start the car.
INDIA 185-6 (DHONI 45*) beat WEST INDIES (HOLDER 57, SHAMI 3-35) by four wickets
A thick edge off Samuels goes to the boundary and finishes things off. India were briefly in trouble, but West Indies relented and made those last 30 or 35 runs so easy for the champions to knock off.
Holder left himself, Taylor, Russell and Roach with overs left in the tank and instead went with Smith and Samuels, resulting in a subdued finish to a match which had once promised to be tense.
Those decisions may mar what had otherwise been a decent day for Holder individually. He made 57 with the bat to salvage his side a competitive total of 182, after the Windies had fallen to 85-7.
It will be his opposite number who will be smiling, though, with MS Dhoni seeing his side over the line as he has done so often in the past. However, it is Mohammed Shami who collects the man-of-the-match award for his 3-35 which helped India get on top of the game inside the first 10 overs.
This result means that India remain unbeaten in the competition and become the first team from Pool B to qualify for the quarter-finals. West Indies next face UAE in their final group game. It is a must-win match if they are to follow India into the last eight. It could all come down to net run rate.
That is it from me. Thanks for joining Sports Mole for this low-scoring affair at the WACA. We will be back with over-by-over updates of Australia vs Sri Lanka on Sunday morning. Until then...
