Virender Sehwag was the second player to get to a double century

Virender Sehwag was the second player to get to a double-ton in ODIs, India v West Indies, 4th ODI, Indore, December 8, 2011

©AFP

Virender Sehwag was the second player to get to a double-ton in ODIs, India v West Indies, 4th ODI, Indore, December 8, 2011©AFP

Ravi Rampaul has Virender Sehwag caught behind

Ravi Rampaul has Virender Sehwag caught behind, India v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Ahmedabad, December 5, 2011

©AFP

Ravi Rampaul has Virender Sehwag caught behind, India v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Ahmedabad, December 5, 2011

India won by 80 runs

West Indies lose this match

India fight back as Pollard falls

India v West Indies, World Cup 2011, Group B, Chennai

Smith fifty puts West Indies on course

posted by

M.Usman Arshad

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

March 20, 2011

Devon Smith

Devon Smith, playing perhaps the best innings of his young career, put West Indies right on track for the chase of 268 on a surface that seems to be playing better than the earlier Chennai pitches, but is still not the ideal batting strip. What makes Smith's knock better is that West Indies didn't have the services of Chris Gayle, who sat out with an abdominal strain.

Smith and Darren Bravo played the odd flashy shot, but they relied almost entirely on exposing the ordinary fielding side that India is, often taking singles straight to the fielders inside the ring and twos after hitting straight to the deep fielders. There was no sense of rush or panic that characterised West Indies' effort in a much smaller chase against England. To keep India in the game, though, World Cup debutant Suresh Raina picked up a wicket with a long hop to send Bravo back.

Another World Cup debutant, R Ashwin, was responsible for India's first wicket. Picked at long last, Ashwin was in play in the first over, and in his fourth he trapped the dangerous-looking debutant Kirk Edwards lbw with a carrom ball. Smith, at the other end, was playing a perfect innings for a middling chase, unleashing his trademark lethal square cut at Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Raina and Yusuf Pathan, and taking the ones and twos regularly. The straight drive off a Zaheer half-volley stood out in his effort.

The first ball Harbhajan bowled in the sixth over turned and bounced, but somehow he went back to bowling flat and short, and proved to be a big disappointment for India. His four overs went for 23 as West Indies found cruise mode, and MS Dhoni turned to the part-timers. Raina's introduction produced a wicket as Bravo pulled him straight down long-on's lap. Smith kept going strong still, cutting Raina for only his fifth boundary and moving to 49 in the 19th over. The fifty came up in the same over, and soon came a big six off Yuvraj Singh out of nowhere. The ease with which Smith played the spinners made one wonder why there had been only three overs of pace in the first 25 overs. At the halfway mark, with the partnership between Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan having reached 41 off 47, West Indies were on track.

50 overs India 268 (Yuvraj 113, Kohli 59, Rampaul 5-51) v West Indies 

India won

West Indies lose this match

India fight back as Pollard falls

India v West Indies, World Cup 2011, Group B, Chennai

Smith fifty puts West Indies on course

posted by

M.Usman Arshad

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

March 20, 2011

Devon Smith

Devon Smith, playing perhaps the best innings of his young career, put West Indies right on track for the chase of 268 on a surface that seems to be playing better than the earlier Chennai pitches, but is still not the ideal batting strip. What makes Smith's knock better is that West Indies didn't have the services of Chris Gayle, who sat out with an abdominal strain.

Smith and Darren Bravo played the odd flashy shot, but they relied almost entirely on exposing the ordinary fielding side that India is, often taking singles straight to the fielders inside the ring and twos after hitting straight to the deep fielders. There was no sense of rush or panic that characterised West Indies' effort in a much smaller chase against England. To keep India in the game, though, World Cup debutant Suresh Raina picked up a wicket with a long hop to send Bravo back.

Another World Cup debutant, R Ashwin, was responsible for India's first wicket. Picked at long last, Ashwin was in play in the first over, and in his fourth he trapped the dangerous-looking debutant Kirk Edwards lbw with a carrom ball. Smith, at the other end, was playing a perfect innings for a middling chase, unleashing his trademark lethal square cut at Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Raina and Yusuf Pathan, and taking the ones and twos regularly. The straight drive off a Zaheer half-volley stood out in his effort.

The first ball Harbhajan bowled in the sixth over turned and bounced, but somehow he went back to bowling flat and short, and proved to be a big disappointment for India. His four overs went for 23 as West Indies found cruise mode, and MS Dhoni turned to the part-timers. Raina's introduction produced a wicket as Bravo pulled him straight down long-on's lap. Smith kept going strong still, cutting Raina for only his fifth boundary and moving to 49 in the 19th over. The fifty came up in the same over, and soon came a big six off Yuvraj Singh out of nowhere. The ease with which Smith played the spinners made one wonder why there had been only three overs of pace in the first 25 overs. At the halfway mark, with the partnership between Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan having reached 41 off 47, West Indies were on track.

50 overs India 268 (Yuvraj 113, Kohli 59, Rampaul 5-51) v West Indies 

West Indies require another 87 runs with 1 wickets and 53 balls remaining

West Indies require another 87 runs with 1 wickets and 53 balls remaining

India fight back as Pollard falls

India v West Indies, World Cup 2011, Group B, Chennai

Smith fifty puts West Indies on course

posted by

M.Usman Arshad

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

March 20, 2011

Devon Smith

Devon Smith, playing perhaps the best innings of his young career, put West Indies right on track for the chase of 268 on a surface that seems to be playing better than the earlier Chennai pitches, but is still not the ideal batting strip. What makes Smith's knock better is that West Indies didn't have the services of Chris Gayle, who sat out with an abdominal strain.

Smith and Darren Bravo played the odd flashy shot, but they relied almost entirely on exposing the ordinary fielding side that India is, often taking singles straight to the fielders inside the ring and twos after hitting straight to the deep fielders. There was no sense of rush or panic that characterised West Indies' effort in a much smaller chase against England. To keep India in the game, though, World Cup debutant Suresh Raina picked up a wicket with a long hop to send Bravo back.

Another World Cup debutant, R Ashwin, was responsible for India's first wicket. Picked at long last, Ashwin was in play in the first over, and in his fourth he trapped the dangerous-looking debutant Kirk Edwards lbw with a carrom ball. Smith, at the other end, was playing a perfect innings for a middling chase, unleashing his trademark lethal square cut at Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Raina and Yusuf Pathan, and taking the ones and twos regularly. The straight drive off a Zaheer half-volley stood out in his effort.

The first ball Harbhajan bowled in the sixth over turned and bounced, but somehow he went back to bowling flat and short, and proved to be a big disappointment for India. His four overs went for 23 as West Indies found cruise mode, and MS Dhoni turned to the part-timers. Raina's introduction produced a wicket as Bravo pulled him straight down long-on's lap. Smith kept going strong still, cutting Raina for only his fifth boundary and moving to 49 in the 19th over. The fifty came up in the same over, and soon came a big six off Yuvraj Singh out of nowhere. The ease with which Smith played the spinners made one wonder why there had been only three overs of pace in the first 25 overs. At the halfway mark, with the partnership between Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan having reached 41 off 47, West Indies were on track.

50 overs India 268 (Yuvraj 113, Kohli 59, Rampaul 5-51) v West Indies 

West Indies require another 87 runs with 2 wickets and 9 overs remaining

West Indies require another 87 runs with 2 wickets and 9 overs remaining

India fight back as Pollard falls

India v West Indies, World Cup 2011, Group B, Chennai

Smith fifty puts West Indies on course

posted by

M.Usman Arshad

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

March 20, 2011

Devon Smith

Devon Smith, playing perhaps the best innings of his young career, put West Indies right on track for the chase of 268 on a surface that seems to be playing better than the earlier Chennai pitches, but is still not the ideal batting strip. What makes Smith's knock better is that West Indies didn't have the services of Chris Gayle, who sat out with an abdominal strain.

Smith and Darren Bravo played the odd flashy shot, but they relied almost entirely on exposing the ordinary fielding side that India is, often taking singles straight to the fielders inside the ring and twos after hitting straight to the deep fielders. There was no sense of rush or panic that characterised West Indies' effort in a much smaller chase against England. To keep India in the game, though, World Cup debutant Suresh Raina picked up a wicket with a long hop to send Bravo back.

Another World Cup debutant, R Ashwin, was responsible for India's first wicket. Picked at long last, Ashwin was in play in the first over, and in his fourth he trapped the dangerous-looking debutant Kirk Edwards lbw with a carrom ball. Smith, at the other end, was playing a perfect innings for a middling chase, unleashing his trademark lethal square cut at Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Raina and Yusuf Pathan, and taking the ones and twos regularly. The straight drive off a Zaheer half-volley stood out in his effort.

The first ball Harbhajan bowled in the sixth over turned and bounced, but somehow he went back to bowling flat and short, and proved to be a big disappointment for India. His four overs went for 23 as West Indies found cruise mode, and MS Dhoni turned to the part-timers. Raina's introduction produced a wicket as Bravo pulled him straight down long-on's lap. Smith kept going strong still, cutting Raina for only his fifth boundary and moving to 49 in the 19th over. The fifty came up in the same over, and soon came a big six off Yuvraj Singh out of nowhere. The ease with which Smith played the spinners made one wonder why there had been only three overs of pace in the first 25 overs. At the halfway mark, with the partnership between Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan having reached 41 off 47, West Indies were on track.

50 overs India 268 (Yuvraj 113, Kohli 59, Rampaul 5-51) v West Indies 

West Indies require another 101 runs with 3 wickets and 12.0 overs remaining

West Indies require another 101 runs with 3 wickets and 12.0 overs remainingIndia fight back as Pollard falls

India v West Indies, World Cup 2011, Group B, Chennai

Smith fifty puts West Indies on course

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

March 20, 2011

Devon Smith

Devon Smith, playing perhaps the best innings of his young career, put West Indies right on track for the chase of 268 on a surface that seems to be playing better than the earlier Chennai pitches, but is still not the ideal batting strip. What makes Smith's knock better is that West Indies didn't have the services of Chris Gayle, who sat out with an abdominal strain.

Smith and Darren Bravo played the odd flashy shot, but they relied almost entirely on exposing the ordinary fielding side that India is, often taking singles straight to the fielders inside the ring and twos after hitting straight to the deep fielders. There was no sense of rush or panic that characterised West Indies' effort in a much smaller chase against England. To keep India in the game, though, World Cup debutant Suresh Raina picked up a wicket with a long hop to send Bravo back.

Another World Cup debutant, R Ashwin, was responsible for India's first wicket. Picked at long last, Ashwin was in play in the first over, and in his fourth he trapped the dangerous-looking debutant Kirk Edwards lbw with a carrom ball. Smith, at the other end, was playing a perfect innings for a middling chase, unleashing his trademark lethal square cut at Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Raina and Yusuf Pathan, and taking the ones and twos regularly. The straight drive off a Zaheer half-volley stood out in his effort.

The first ball Harbhajan bowled in the sixth over turned and bounced, but somehow he went back to bowling flat and short, and proved to be a big disappointment for India. His four overs went for 23 as West Indies found cruise mode, and MS Dhoni turned to the part-timers. Raina's introduction produced a wicket as Bravo pulled him straight down long-on's lap. Smith kept going strong still, cutting Raina for only his fifth boundary and moving to 49 in the 19th over. The fifty came up in the same over, and soon came a big six off Yuvraj Singh out of nowhere. The ease with which Smith played the spinners made one wonder why there had been only three overs of pace in the first 25 overs. At the halfway mark, with the partnership between Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan having reached 41 off 47, West Indies were on track.

50 overs India 268 (Yuvraj 113, Kohli 59, Rampaul 5-51) v West Indies 

Andre Russell out

West Indies require another 104 runs with 3 wickets and 13.0 overs remainingIndia fight back as Pollard falls

India v West Indies, World Cup 2011, Group B, Chennai

Smith fifty puts West Indies on course

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

March 20, 2011

Devon Smith

Devon Smith, playing perhaps the best innings of his young career, put West Indies right on track for the chase of 268 on a surface that seems to be playing better than the earlier Chennai pitches, but is still not the ideal batting strip. What makes Smith's knock better is that West Indies didn't have the services of Chris Gayle, who sat out with an abdominal strain.

Smith and Darren Bravo played the odd flashy shot, but they relied almost entirely on exposing the ordinary fielding side that India is, often taking singles straight to the fielders inside the ring and twos after hitting straight to the deep fielders. There was no sense of rush or panic that characterised West Indies' effort in a much smaller chase against England. To keep India in the game, though, World Cup debutant Suresh Raina picked up a wicket with a long hop to send Bravo back.

Another World Cup debutant, R Ashwin, was responsible for India's first wicket. Picked at long last, Ashwin was in play in the first over, and in his fourth he trapped the dangerous-looking debutant Kirk Edwards lbw with a carrom ball. Smith, at the other end, was playing a perfect innings for a middling chase, unleashing his trademark lethal square cut at Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Raina and Yusuf Pathan, and taking the ones and twos regularly. The straight drive off a Zaheer half-volley stood out in his effort.

The first ball Harbhajan bowled in the sixth over turned and bounced, but somehow he went back to bowling flat and short, and proved to be a big disappointment for India. His four overs went for 23 as West Indies found cruise mode, and MS Dhoni turned to the part-timers. Raina's introduction produced a wicket as Bravo pulled him straight down long-on's lap. Smith kept going strong still, cutting Raina for only his fifth boundary and moving to 49 in the 19th over. The fifty came up in the same over, and soon came a big six off Yuvraj Singh out of nowhere. The ease with which Smith played the spinners made one wonder why there had been only three overs of pace in the first 25 overs. At the halfway mark, with the partnership between Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan having reached 41 off 47, West Indies were on track.

50 overs India 268 (Yuvraj 113, Kohli 59, Rampaul 5-51) v West Indies 

West Indies require another 104 runs with 3 wickets and 13 overs remaining

West Indies require another 104 runs with 3 wickets and 13 overs remainingIndia fight back as Pollard falls

India v West Indies, World Cup 2011, Group B, Chennai

Smith fifty puts West Indies on course

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

March 20, 2011

Devon Smith

Devon Smith, playing perhaps the best innings of his young career, put West Indies right on track for the chase of 268 on a surface that seems to be playing better than the earlier Chennai pitches, but is still not the ideal batting strip. What makes Smith's knock better is that West Indies didn't have the services of Chris Gayle, who sat out with an abdominal strain.

Smith and Darren Bravo played the odd flashy shot, but they relied almost entirely on exposing the ordinary fielding side that India is, often taking singles straight to the fielders inside the ring and twos after hitting straight to the deep fielders. There was no sense of rush or panic that characterised West Indies' effort in a much smaller chase against England. To keep India in the game, though, World Cup debutant Suresh Raina picked up a wicket with a long hop to send Bravo back.

Another World Cup debutant, R Ashwin, was responsible for India's first wicket. Picked at long last, Ashwin was in play in the first over, and in his fourth he trapped the dangerous-looking debutant Kirk Edwards lbw with a carrom ball. Smith, at the other end, was playing a perfect innings for a middling chase, unleashing his trademark lethal square cut at Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Raina and Yusuf Pathan, and taking the ones and twos regularly. The straight drive off a Zaheer half-volley stood out in his effort.

The first ball Harbhajan bowled in the sixth over turned and bounced, but somehow he went back to bowling flat and short, and proved to be a big disappointment for India. His four overs went for 23 as West Indies found cruise mode, and MS Dhoni turned to the part-timers. Raina's introduction produced a wicket as Bravo pulled him straight down long-on's lap. Smith kept going strong still, cutting Raina for only his fifth boundary and moving to 49 in the 19th over. The fifty came up in the same over, and soon came a big six off Yuvraj Singh out of nowhere. The ease with which Smith played the spinners made one wonder why there had been only three overs of pace in the first 25 overs. At the halfway mark, with the partnership between Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan having reached 41 off 47, West Indies were on track.

50 overs India 268 (Yuvraj 113, Kohli 59, Rampaul 5-51) v West Indies 

West Indies require another 105 runs with 4 wickets and 14 overs remaining

West Indies require another 105 runs with 4 wickets and 14 overs remaining
west indies need 109 runs on 96 balls
India fight back as Pollard falls

India v West Indies, World Cup 2011, Group B, Chennai

Smith fifty puts West Indies on course

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

March 20, 2011

Devon Smith

Devon Smith, playing perhaps the best innings of his young career, put West Indies right on track for the chase of 268 on a surface that seems to be playing better than the earlier Chennai pitches, but is still not the ideal batting strip. What makes Smith's knock better is that West Indies didn't have the services of Chris Gayle, who sat out with an abdominal strain.

Smith and Darren Bravo played the odd flashy shot, but they relied almost entirely on exposing the ordinary fielding side that India is, often taking singles straight to the fielders inside the ring and twos after hitting straight to the deep fielders. There was no sense of rush or panic that characterised West Indies' effort in a much smaller chase against England. To keep India in the game, though, World Cup debutant Suresh Raina picked up a wicket with a long hop to send Bravo back.

Another World Cup debutant, R Ashwin, was responsible for India's first wicket. Picked at long last, Ashwin was in play in the first over, and in his fourth he trapped the dangerous-looking debutant Kirk Edwards lbw with a carrom ball. Smith, at the other end, was playing a perfect innings for a middling chase, unleashing his trademark lethal square cut at Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Raina and Yusuf Pathan, and taking the ones and twos regularly. The straight drive off a Zaheer half-volley stood out in his effort.

The first ball Harbhajan bowled in the sixth over turned and bounced, but somehow he went back to bowling flat and short, and proved to be a big disappointment for India. His four overs went for 23 as West Indies found cruise mode, and MS Dhoni turned to the part-timers. Raina's introduction produced a wicket as Bravo pulled him straight down long-on's lap. Smith kept going strong still, cutting Raina for only his fifth boundary and moving to 49 in the 19th over. The fifty came up in the same over, and soon came a big six off Yuvraj Singh out of nowhere. The ease with which Smith played the spinners made one wonder why there had been only three overs of pace in the first 25 overs. At the halfway mark, with the partnership between Smith and Ramnaresh Sarwan having reached 41 off 47, West Indies were on track.

50 overs India 268 (Yuvraj 113, Kohli 59, Rampaul 5-51) v West Indies 

Windies steady in chase of 269

Windies steady in chase of 269

India v West Indies, World Cup 2011, Group B, Chennai

Rampaul five-for keeps India to 268

Ravi Rampaul

There are days when Yuvraj Singh feels it, days when he plays one level above the game around him. Today was one such day when on a two-paced pitch, despite mis-hits punctuating the innings, despite dehydration and vomiting on the field, despite Ravi Rampaul taking his first five-for in his first World Cup match, he played some breathtaking shots to bring up his first World Cup century. India might have lost their way once again in the last 10, going from 218 for 3 to 268, but it seemed an above-par total at Chepauk, which has been the fairest pitch of the tournament when it comes to balance between bat and ball.

Virat Kohli, who came back home to No. 3 thanks to a knee injury to Virender Sehwag, supported Yuvraj ably. In familiar environs of not being expected to go at a strike-rate of 150, Kohli did just what was required on a tough pitch after a tough start, scoring 59 off 76, letting Yuvraj take majority of strike in a partnership of 122 from 51 for 2.

West Indies will not be overly pleased with their effort because they could have made things much worse for India. Like they successfully did in the last two World Twenty20s, West Indies tried to bounce India out, and on a hard surface, they tasted some success at the top too. Inside the first 11 overs, two deliveries bounced over the keeper's head for byes, two batsmen got out to deliveries dug in short, one was dropped off another short delivery, but Sulieman Benn - who surprisingly persisted with the new ball despite the obvious plain and bouncy track - went for 21 in his three overs at the top. To make matters worse Sammy dropped Yuvraj twice, chances not easy but not impossible, at 9 and 11.

The man who fashioned West Indies' last win over a Test side other than Bangladesh, back in June 2009, Rampaul, was brought in to replace an unwell Kemar Roach, but the switch didn't hurt West Indies at all. The last ball of his first over reared up from just short of a length, and also straightened, catching the shoulder of Sachin Tendulkar's bat. Benn bowling from the other end meant West Indies didn't capitalise on that first over, but when Gautam Gambhir fell slashing at Rampaul, offering third man a catch, West Indies were still ahead.

This, especially considering that Rampaul and Andre Russell were charged up, and were pumping up some pace and bounce. Soon Russell squared Yuvraj up with a short ball outside off, Sammy at backward point got to the lob, but mistimed the leap and couldn't hold onto it. In the next over, Sammy managed to just get his fingertips to the return chance that flew over his head. The bouncers still kept coming; the odd ball still misbehaved, especially for the left-hand batsman; Yuvraj got dehydrated and barfed, but nothing seemed to be able to stop the Yuvraj specials in between, shots that kept the scoring rate up in the middle overs. Kohli was smart too: he had played 21 deliveries when Yuvraj came to join him, but so good was the strike manipulation that Yuvraj had played 12 more deliveries than him by the time their partnership ended.

During the partnership, Yuvraj pulled over midwicket, cover-drove for fours along the ground, swept the legspin of Devendra Bishoo, and on-drove Sammy over long-on for a majestic six. By the time the partnership was broken, again by Rampaul with a reversing ball just before the 34-over change, Yuvraj was struggling immensely. The singles went down expectedly, but he didn't hit out. That his partners kept falling - MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina followed Kohli for 22 and 4 - might have had a role to play.

Yuvraj Singh

The big hits didn't quite come out, but the lap shot exposed the short fine leg. Frequently Yuvraj got runs there, one such took him from 92 to 96. After he reached the century, he pulled Sammy over midwicket for another six. Once bitten twice shy, India kept the Powerplay for the last five overs, but Kieron Pollard removed Yuvraj with the last ball of the 45th over through a return catch off the slower ball.

That proved to be a big wicket because in the Powerplay, Rampaul continued his superb comeback, stifling Yusuf Pathan, then getting his wicket as India once again failed to play their quota of 50 overs, leaving the door open for West Indies.

Battle for second place in Group B

India v West Indies, World Cup 2011, Group B, Chennai

Battle for second place in Group B

The Preview by Sidharth Monga

Harbhajan Singh

Match Facts

March 20, Chennai
Start time 1430 hours (0900 GMT)

The Big Picture

No wonder India play so much cricket without seeming to overly mind it. When MS Dhoni walks out for the toss for this game, it will have been more than a week since they last played in the World Cup. The off days for the Indian team, however, have been days of plenty of buzz and activity for the Indian cricketing public and media. Dhoni has suddenly gone from being Midas to moron for getting Ashish Nehra to bowl the final over; Yusuf Pathan is no longer a good choice to bat in batting Powerplay; heated meetings between selectors, board secretary and captain have been reported and denied ; the moon's proximity to the earth has had its say; the next coach has become a topic of discussion; UDRS blunders and Sachin Tendulkar's impending 100th hundred have been overshadowed; everything that can be debated, even those that cannot be, have been debated.

If you have been watching news channels in India, or reading news publications, doom is not too far. Which is why the players have been asked to stay far away. Which is why it is a good thing that they are back on the field where they can sort out their team combination for the knockouts, and there are issues bothering them. Piyush Chawla's inclusion in the XV, always a bit inexplicable, has so far been exposed as a mistake, a gamble gone wrong, which reduces India's options if they feel that either of Munaf Patel or Nehra is out of form.

And Virat Kohli - this will sound harsh on a young man in the form of his life - has hurt the team balance a bit, forcing Suresh Raina out, who is more suited at the slog end and is a pretty canny part-time offspinner. For this game, though, India might not have to make a choice, for Virender Sehwag is down with an allergic reaction to a painkiller injection.

India's opponents are now assured of a place in the knockouts, but the game is just as big for them. Bangladesh are the only Test team West Indies have beaten in an ODI since June 28, 2009, which hurts them bad. Also painful will be how they didn't trust themselves to play normal cricket and finish a middling chase against England after the explosive start by Chris Gayle. They will dearly love to end that unflattering streak, and in the process finish at No. 2 in Group B, thus avoiding the best two sides from Group A in the quarter-final.

If it provides some comfort, the previous major team West Indies beat was India, in Jamaica, through aggressive bowling. They will rate their chances because they are up against a side that is under pressure, no matter how much it avoids the media and the public. A side that will have done really well if it plays uninhibited, free-flowing cricket. West Indies might think the iron is hot.

Chennai is certainly hot, and its spinner-friendly track and reverse-friendly square have provided the two matches of the tournament so far. The World Cup will want to bid it a fitting farewell before it moves to the flatter, more predictable surfaces.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

India LWWTW
West Indies LWWWL

Watch out for...

Chris Gayle has to be hurting. In a chase of 244, he left his side at 58 for 1 in the seventh over, but the rest still managed to fall 18 short. Will he go back to reining himself in and playing through the innings? Will he decide to make Sunday his day and his day alone, and go swinging?

Sides have decided the best way to beat India, at least when they are on the field, is to play Harbhajan Singh out and not give him wickets. Hence an economy-rate of 4.41, but only five wickets. At times it works for India, producing more wicket-taking opportunities for the other bowlers that the batsmen feel compelled to attack. In this World Cup, it has worked for the batsmen. Chennai, though, will be Harbhajan's best chance of taking wickets: a turning pitch, and a fair sprinkling of left-hand batsmen.

Team news

R Ashwin, through all indicators, seems to the be the man India want the world to see as little of as possible before the big matches. Is a match that determines whether they face New Zealand or Sri Lanka in the quarter-final big enough?

Sehwag is a big doubt. "Viru has got an allergic reaction in his right knee, so we will take that call either in the evening or on the morning of the game," Dhoni said.

India (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 & 11 two out of Ashish Nehra, R Ashwin and Munaf Patel

Leaving Shivnarine Chanderpaul was a brave move on paper, but it did backfire on West Indies when they missed one batsman who would take the responsibility and anchor the chase on a difficult track. Do they bring him back? If they do, that will mean dropping either one of the specialist batsmen or one out of Andre Russell and Devendra Bishoo, both of whom had a superb game against England. Right now, Ramnaresh Sarwan seems to be the most disposable member of the XI that lost to England.

West Indies (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan/Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Darren Sammy (capt.), 7 Devon Thomas (wk), 8 Andre Russell, 9 Sulieman Benn, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Devendra Bishoo.

Pitch and conditions

Expect another baked turner with a hard square that should facilitate reverse-swing. For those looking for respite from the Chennai heat, the following is not good news. Chance of precipitation on Sunday: 0%.

Stats and trivia

• Legspinner Bishoo took three wickets on his debut in Chennai. Twenty three years ago, a legspinner in a similar mould, took 16 wickets on his Test debut, again in Chennai. West Indies then were at the receiving end of Narendra Hirwani.
• Everybody knows Sachin Tendulkar is one short of reaching 100 international hundreds, but he is also just 47 short of 18,000 ODI runs.
• The World Cup head-to-head between the teams is tied at three and three.

Quotes

"It is a big learning curve and hopefully we won't repeat the same mistakes that have happened so far. We are human beings, we are always supposed to commit mistakes. Hopefully the interval between two will be long."
Vintage MS Dhoni

Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo