PORT OF SPAIN, June 9 (PTI): India produced a disciplined allround performance to register a convincing seven-wicket win over the West Indies in a rain-affected second One-day International and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series here.
Virat Kohli (81) played a stellar hand, first partnering opener Parthiv Patel (56) for 120-run second wicket stand and then withstanding a little tremor induced by the rain breaks.
Chasing a target of 241, India were 100 for one in 22 overs when a sharp passing shower made the square unfit to play for 85 minutes.
The rain break reduced the visitors� innings to 37 overs and the target was revised to 183, implying they needed 83 runs from 90 deliveries. And India achieved it comfortably in 33.4 overs.
Earlier, India restricted the hosts to 240 for nine after skipper Suresh Raina won the toss and elected to field at the Queen�s Park Oval.
Amit Mishra (4/31) and Munaf Patel (3/35) struck in the late moments to stop the run flow and trigger a collapse after the Windies got off to a good start.
For the hosts, Ramnaresh Sarwan (56) and Lendl Simmons (53) cracked individual half-centuries up the order but their middle-order crumbled, slipping from 175 for three in 34 overs to 229 for nine in 48.5 overs.
Chasing the revised target, Patel was caught behind off a tickle, but Kohli managed to held firm.
He was well supported by stand-in skipper Suresh Raina (26), who brought an early end to the innings.
India were off to a poor start when left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan (3) guided a Ravi Rampaul delivery into the hands of gully fielder.
But Kohli was in his element from the very start and rarely hit the ball in the air, a contrast with Parthiv Patel who scooped and flicked in vacant places at will.
Kohli completed his 2000 runs in One-day internationals with a sweep off Devendra Bishoo. It has taken him only 53 innings � the second fastest behind the joint record holder Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sourav Ganguly (52 innings each).
None of the West Indian bowlers could make an impression and the biggest flops were the local boys � Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo � who made little impression with either bat or ball.
Patel, during his gritty knock, faced 64 balls and hit two fours and two sixes.
Kohli, who hit six fours and one six during his 103-ball innings, was finally dismissed in the last ball of the 31st over. He ended up holing out to Pollard off Bishoo at long-off while looking to hit a six.
Raina�s brief cameo of 26 came off just 19 balls, which included a four and a six.
Earlier, leg-spinner Mishra took four for 31 with his sharply turning leg-breaks to keep West Indies down to 240 for nine after the hosts had threatened to run up a bigger total at one stage.
Munaf Patel (three for 35) too played a good supporting hand as the West Indies lost six wickets for 48 runs in the final nine overs.
An entertaining 36 from Marlon Samuels and a hectic 31-run eighth wicket stand between skipper Darren Sammy (22 not out) and Ravi Rampaul (14) gave the Caribbeans some momentum but in the end the total was not enough.
Earlier, openers Simmons and Kirk Edwards (25) provided the perfect platform with 57 runs as they feasted on some rugged fielding and wayward bowling.
Edwards� first four flicked bowler Munaf Patel�s raised hand to go to long-on fence and the next one was crashed past covers in the fourth over.
Moving into his stride, Edwards smote Praveen Kumar at the other end over mid-on, hurrying Indians to bring on leg-spinner Amit Mishra in the eighth over.
Simmons survived a caught behind in the 10th over after Munaf Patel overstepped the bowling crease.
Mishra was impressive from the word go but Simmons was confident enough to sweep him for four.
SCORECARD
West Indies: Lendl Simmons st P Patel b Pathan 53, Krik Edwards c PA Patel b Mishra 25, Ramnaresh Sarwan c Pathan b Munaf 56, Marlon Samuels st PA Patel b Pathan 36, Dwayne Bravo c Harbhajan b Mishra 8, Kieron Pollard lbw b Mishra 0, Carlton Baugh b Mishra 2, Darren Sammy not out 22, Ravi Rampaul c Raina b Munaf 14, Devendra Bishoo c PA Patel b Munaf 0, Anthony Martin not out 0. Extras: (B-1, LB-6, W-16, NB-1) 24. TOTAL: (for 9 wickets in 50 overs) 240. Fall of wickets: 1-57, 2-124, 3-175, 4-192, 5-192, 6-197, 7-197, 8-228, 9-229. Bowling: Praveen Kumar 10-0-54-0, Munaf Patel 10-2-35-3, Amit Mishra 10-2-31-4, Harbhajan Singh 10-1-51-0, Yusuf Pathan 8-0-51-2, Suresh Raina 2-0-11-0.
India: Parthiv Patel c Baugh b Martin 56, Shikhar Dhawan c Pollard b Rampaul 3, Virat Kohli c Pollard b Bishoo 81, Suresh Raina not out 26, Rohit Sharma not out 7. Extras: (W-8, NB-2) 10. Total: (for 3 wickets in 33.4 overs) 183. Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-128, 3-173. Bowling: Ravi Rampaul 6.4-0-32-1, Darren Sammy 10-1-38-0, Dwayne Bravo 3-0-20-0, Devendra Bishoo 7-0-37-1, Anthony Martin 4-0-29-1, Kieron Pollard 3-0-27-0.
