India moved a step closer to the World Cup semi-finals and ended West Indies’ slim hopes of qualifying with a 125-run thrashing at Old Trafford.
West Indies, chasing 269 for victory, were dismantled by India, with pace bowler Mohammad Shami taking 4-16 and Jasprit Bumrah 2-9.
It was an underwhelming response from West Indies after they were economical with the ball and tidy in the field.
Virat Kohli made 72 as India worked hard in front of a vociferous crowd, and MS Dhoni’s unbeaten 56, which saw him take 16 runs from the final over, propelled them to 268-7.
West Indies were ultimately dismissed for 143 with 94 balls remaining and will be left to rue a impatient batting performance on a slow pitch.
India are the only unbeaten team in the tournament and yesterday replaced England – their next opponents – at the top of the one-day rankings.
They will head to Edgbaston on Sunday with plenty of confidence, knowing that victory will secure their semi-final berth and make England’s task to qualify even more difficult.
| World Cup group table | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | P | W | L | T | NR | RR | Pts |
| 1 | Australia (Q) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.906 | 12 |
| 2 | India | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.16 | 11 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.028 | 11 |
| 4 | England | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.051 | 8 |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -0.133 | 7 |
| 6 | Pakistan | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -0.976 | 7 |
| 7 | Sri Lanka | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -1.119 | 6 |
| 8 | West Indies | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -0.32 | 3 |
| 9 | South Africa | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -0.324 | 3 |
| 10 | Afghanistan | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -1.634 | 0 |
England might have played close attention to this match; they may need to beat both India on Sunday and then New Zealand to reach the semi-finals.
What will they have learnt? India’s top order is as dynamic as ever but the middle is brittle. Kohli top-scored and made batting look easy, but those around him faltered. India have a long tail which England may be able to exploit.
KL Rahul was bowled by Jason Holder, caught in two minds; Vijay Shankar, who has struggled for runs at four, was undone by a delivery that moved off the seam and the dangerous Hardik Pandya sliced to cover after a flurry of shots.
While Kohli can manipulate the field and find singles, he has yet to make a century at this World Cup, something that will not be lost on him. He was in disbelief as he pulled Holder straight to the fielder at mid-wicket as India looked to accelerate.
While MS Dhoni provided an entertaining finish for the packed Old Trafford crowd – he hit two sixes and a four off the final over of the innings – he likes to take his time, and the singles lessened as his innings progressed. While he propelled India to a score that was ultimately more than
enough, he can also limit them in the crucial moments.
