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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Nos. 10 and 11, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, managed to string together the 11 runs India required to take a 1-0 lead in the series•AFP

For the second time in four days, India and West Indies showed that big hits aren’t crucial ingredients in absorbing cricket. As in the Mumbai Test, the final delivery of the match was punched to long-on, but this time there were no tears for the home fans as last man Umesh Yadav’s drive went for four to end a pulsating match.It wasn’t the highest quality of cricket, but there was no shortage of entertainment for a voluble Cuttack crowd watching its first international match in two years. Rohit Sharma seemed to have sealed the game with a mostly level-headed half-century after India slipped to 59 for 5, but his dismissal 11 runs short of the target provided an extra dollop of suspense to an already tumultuous match.Watching tailenders bat ranks high among the enjoyable sidelights in cricket, and watching a panicky No. 10 Varun Aaron and Umesh, with all of 10 ODI caps between them, negotiate the final passage was a heart-warmer. The two came together after Vinay Kumar, a relatively more skilled batsman, lost his head and his wicket by charging out and holing out to mid-off, and that five deliveries after Rohit’s dismissal.Eleven runs were needed from the final pair, off 23 deliveries. It was to be expected that the predominant mood in the middle wouldn’t be calm-and-collected, but it was still hard to explain the thinking behind Aaron declining a single off the fifth delivery of the 47th, so that he could take strike in the next over. A visibly stricken Rohit couldn’t believe that decision, and substitute Ajinkya Rahane muttered under his breath.A spell of 15 dot balls was finally ended by Aaron thumping the ball to long-off for a single. More headless-chicken stuff followed as Umesh nurdled the fifth ball of the 48th, with Aaron this time desperately wanting a non-existent second in another attempt to face the start of the next over.In Aaron’s defence, Umesh wasn’t exactly the most confidence-inspiring of batsmen, regularly planting his front foot across the stumps and poking at the ball. Umesh managed to sneak a single towards square leg off the first delivery of the penultimate over, for which the pacy Andre Russell might have been a better choice than the innocuous Darren Sammy. An on-target yorker at Russell’s pace could have been the game, but Sammy perhaps feared the edged boundary to third man or fine leg.In any case, Sammy’s second delivery was a hit-me short-and-wide delivery that was dispatched for four by Aaron, to bring India within four of victory. He guided the next ball towards point for a single, and in his enthusiasm to look for yet another unlikely second, he slipped and had to settle for one. Umesh coolly shouldered arms to the next delivery, before punching a length ball past mid-on for the boundary that extended India’s winning streak in home ODIs to ten. It also ended Aaron’s mad scramble for the second run, something he famously did, without delivering victory, off the final delivery in the Mumbai Test.At the other extreme when it comes to taking the second is R Ashwin, who was mildly criticised after delaying setting off for the potentially winning-run in Mumbai. This time he will receive a lot more criticism, after staying put for too long though his senior partner Rohit was running to the danger end, and was confident of making it.Before that run-out, India were 54 away with plenty of overs to go, with Rohit and Ashwin – fresh from a Test century – in the middle. A fairly comfortable state, which India reached due to a 83-run stand for the sixth wicket between Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja. That stand administered CPR to a chase that was fast fading at 59 for 5.Rohit played the more expansive strokes – a stylish six over the bowler, a textbook cover drive for four off Russell, followed by a controlled pull for another boundary. Jadeja was more content playing the no-frills role, picking up several of his boundaries through glides behind point. It was crucial innings for both players – Rohit, returning after several months out due to a finger injury, is looking to secure a spot in the crowded middle order, while Jadeja is still to emphatically prove he deserves a spot as high as No. 7.All the drama seemed unlikely when India’s openers galloped to 37 four overs into the chase. The dew was expected to play a huge role in the evening, and a chock-a-block crowd was probably one of the biggest many of the West Indians had played in front of. Kemar Roach didn’t let any of that affect him as he pulled West Indies back into the match by removing Parthiv Patel and Gautam Gambhir in the fifth over, and adding the scalp of Virat Kohli soon after.When Russell snuck one past Virender Sehwag’s bat, and Suresh Raina chipped a catch to mid-off, it was West Indies who were in control, particularly as India’s most reliable middle-order finishers, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, were absent.Rohit and the bowlers clinched it for India at the end, but the inexperienced attack had been hugely impressively in the afternoon as well. India had none of the regular members of their World Cup-winning line-up but that didn’t prevent them from limiting the visitors to a small total. Umesh and Varun showed off the pace for which they have made a name, Vinay ‘s patented away-swinger was on display, and the spinners continued to give the selectors no reason to think of Harbhajan Singh.West Indies’ batting had had a reviving stand of its own between Darren Bravo and Danza Hyatt after the top-order stumbled. Bravo doled out his usual share of easy-on-the-eyes boundaries as he extended his rich form from the Tests to make 60, while Hyatt was more controlled after starting problems, due to which he has reached double-digits only twice in six ODI-innings so far.Some amateurish running from Hyatt took away any semblance of momentum from the West Indian batting, and the dismissals of Bravo and Kieron Pollard within a short span, meant the final third of the innings was slow going.The 211 they posted seemed far from substantial, especially as the pitch wasn’t playing too many tricks – the curator had boldly predicted 300-plus ahead of the match – but they again showed an encouraging ability to fight. That may not have translated into results on this trip so far, but it has resulted in the home side being forced to dig very deep in most of the matches.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outAzhar Ali enjoyed Misbah-ul-Haq’s calming influence in the nervous 90s•AFP

Azhar Ali joined Chetan Chauhan, Ken “Slasher” Mackay and Mike Brearley among others as specialist batsmen with 1000 Test runs and no centuries, but spent only 37.1 overs in their company, reaching a maiden Test hundred in his 11th foray past 50. In the process he helped Pakistan recover from the loss of their openers early on the second day and, with support from Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, laid the platform for a substantial first-innings lead.The Sri Lanka bowlers toiled honestly for the best part of the day, but all they could manage was to slow down Pakistan’s march towards the lead. Pakistan’s run-rate might have been similar to their attempt in the first Test, which played a role in the eventual draw, but this was completely different from that go-slow. For starters the intent was obvious on the first evening, when the openers raced to 42 in nine overs. Then Suranga Lakmal’s outswing early and the quick loss of the openers to Dhammika Prasad made them put their heads down.Crucially both the big partnerships featured acceleration. In the first 12.3 overs of their stand leading up to lunch, Azhar and Younis had added just 31. By the time they had batted 27 overs together, the partnership read 75. When the two were separated three minutes before tea, they had put together 117 in 39.5 overs. Azhar and Misbah added only 18 in their first 10 overs together; in the next 10 they scored 45.By then, though, the new ball had been taken, we were in the final hour of the day, and Azhar was 14 short of his century. He went from 86 to 90 with a thick edge over the slips. Over the next 30 balls he faced he sucked you into the drama of a man trying to reach that elusive century. He hit short-and-wide deliveries and half-volleys straight to the fielders, he jumped out to spin to recover just in time, he ran anxiously, he smiled, he agonised. Misbah kept telling him, in Punjabi, to do it in singles.Azhar finally attempted a paddle sweep on 98, the ball hit the keeper’s pad, deflected towards third man, and Azhar started to celebrate as he turned for the second run, giving the umpire Tony Hill no chance to even consider the possibility of byes. The replays of course were inconclusive, but it was just as well because he would soon be given lbw off an inside edge, with his score still 100.Azhar could be forgiven for taking the focus off the rest of the game for the last 11 overs of the day, during which only 26 runs came, if not for a full year of solidity he has brought to the middle order, for today’s work alone. When he and Younis came together on this new-ball pitch, the ball was still seaming around a bit and two wickets had fallen in 2.3 overs. Sri Lanka, though, couldn’t have been entirely happy at that time. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene had dropped both the openers off successive deliveries from Lakmal, costing the side 11 runs and more importantly six valuable overs with the new ball.The wickets had come nonetheless, and both the dismissed batsmen had been troubled consistently by the movement. Mohammad Hafeez, though, was unlucky, falling lbw to a ball headed down leg. The man responsible for both the dodgy lbws in the day was Hill, but the rest of his day was a big improvement on a horror first Test. He was alert enough to warn Prasad twice for running onto the danger area, and rightly rule against a caught-behind appeal off the bowling of Dilshan. Azhar’s bat had hit the ground creating the sound, but in live time he looked in real trouble.Azhar was 32 off 82 then, and had been through a nervous moment or three. Twice he had tried to hit spin over the infield but found mid-off and mid-on on the bounce. Lakmal’s mix of yorkers and short bowling asked questions too in the post-lunch session. On one occasion Azhar fended with his eyes off the ball. In comparison Younis remained almost inconspicuous, falling seamlessly into his defend-nudge-sweep routine against the spinners, striking at around 50 per 100 balls without seeming to make an effort. He played both the regulation and paddle sweep well, not letting Rangana Herath and Dilshan bowl where they would have wanted to.Turn, though, wasn’t Pakistan’s main concern. It was the nibble in the morning and the slight reverse in the afternoon that asked questions. For strange reasons, though, Dishan tried his best to get the reversing ball changed. Equally strangely, Rangana Herath prematurely moved over the wicket, which allowed Azhar to open up by helping himself to free runs on the leg side.From the time Azhar paddled Herath’s over-the-stumps line for four, he scored 62 off 119 before reaching his 90s, a big improvement on his strike-rate otherwise. The fast bowlers were now tired, the ball was old, and the sense of adventure got the better of Younis, who reached his fifty with a six before playing Dilshan on in the penultimate over before tea.Misbah started cautiously, broke free with a six over midwicket, and then found the accumulation mode. He was the calming voice during Azhar’s nervous 90s, and now holds the responsibility of batting Sri Lanka out of the game, at a pace that allows Pakistan enough time to win the match.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJunaid Khan finished with his maiden five-for•Associated Press

Sri Lanka squandered away what seemed to be an inviting proposition in the morning – being put in to bat on a flat wicket under the hot sun against inexperienced bowlers – by refusing to score, and ultimately succumbed against a relentless Pakistan attack. Angelo Mathews, however, batted intelligently with the lower order, as he had done during the recent series against Australia, to lift Sri Lanka from the lows of 114 for 7 before Junaid Khan’s maiden Test five-for kept them to a first-innings tally of 197.Pakistan’s bowlers were nearly sold short at the toss by their captain who thought that any chance of taking wickets lay in utilising the scant moisture on a flat and deceptively green-tinged pitch. With a large heart and perseverance, though, they prised out six wickets in the second session after Lahiru Thirimanne’s guide to slip off Saeed Ajmal gave them an opening at the stroke of lunch.Aizaz Cheema epitomised Pakistan’s hunger with a relentless spell, either side of the break, that claimed Kumar Sangakkara cheaply and troubled Mahela Jayawardene with consistent pace and zip off the placid surface. Jayawardene managed to survive Cheema’s spell but soon joined Tillakaratne Dilshan in the dressing room. Dilshan had earlier briefly breathed life into the doddering innings, before being wrongly adjudged caught-behind by umpire Tony Hill, as Sri Lanka slipped to 112 for 4.Jayawardene went in the next over, prodding at Junaid outside off stump and edging to slip. Junaid capitalised on the panic in the line-up to claim Prasanna Jayawardene and Rangana Herath with searing full deliveries to reduce Sri Lanka to 114 for 4, but the fight had gone out of the Sri Lanka innings some time ago.Cheema, 32, displayed the tireless zeal of a player made to wait almost ten years for his Test debut. He even hit Jayawardene on the helmet grill when the batsman failed to get out of the way of a short one. Cheema’s aggression was in contrast to the way Thirimanne and Tharanga Paranavitana added 26 runs in the first hour, treating the benign Sheikh Zayed Stadium surface with the extreme respect that an overcast Headingley morning would deserve.Though the three Pakistan fast bowlers, Gul, Cheema and Junaid – chosen ahead of the quicker and more experienced Wahab Riaz – ran in with heart, they were rendered ineffective in the first session by the lifeless pitch.The openers’ approach, however, bordered on the extreme of being over-cautious. The first boundary came in the 14th over from Paranavitana off the part-time offspin of Mohammad Hafeez. Having played sedately all morning, Thirimanne guided Ajmal straight to slip in the penultimate over before lunch. Sri Lanka had managed only 50 runs in the session.Cheema struck with the first ball of the second over after lunch, getting Sangakkara to edge behind for Adnan Akmal to take a flying one-handed catch in front of first slip. Paranavitana contrived to survive longer with his defensive mindset but the manner of his dismissal – gloving an attempted pull to the wicketkeeper off a Gul short ball down the leg side – showed that patience without purpose inevitably comes unstuck against sustained pressure.Just as Pakistan had used Sri Lanka’s diffidence to spark a collapse, Mathews took advantage of Misbah’s listless field-settings to add 54 – the highest partnership of the innings – with Suranga Lakmal. Mathews did everything that the earlier batsmen had not – he did not get tied down and attacked when allowed to, shielding Lakmal initially and taking advantage of the spread-out fields. Misbah helped Mathews by repeatedly keeping the field back even for the final two deliveries of the overs. On the rare occasions when he brought them in, Mathews went after the bowling, slicing and punching Cheema for consecutive boundaries off the final two balls of the 61st over.Pakistan eventually got through the tail when Junaid cleaned up the last two wickets to end with 5 for 38, and set up the game for the Pakistan batsmen.The new ball had not done much for Pakistan; Sri Lanka’s bowlers did not fare better, if anything, they did not make the Pakistan openers play enough. Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar were hardly troubled in breezing to 27 by stumps, capping a dominant day for their side.

Match facts

Stuart Broad keeps his eye on the ball in training•PA Photos

August 31, Old Trafford
Start time 1800 (1700 GMT)

Big Picture

A week of relative downtime, and India’s tour of England is finally up and running. Three low-key county fixtures – against Sussex, Kent and Leicestershire – have given a bruised squad a chance to rediscover that winning feeling, and with a trio of hard-earned victories to fall back on, attention now turns to the limited-overs leg of their campaign, starting with the one-off Twenty20 at Old Trafford on Wednesday.As far as India are concerned, a change ought to be as good as a rest. A chance to swap their benighted whites for their familiar blue one-day outfits is an opportunity to draw a line under their shortcomings of the Test series, and revert to the mindset of champions. After all, less than five months have elapsed since that night of nights in Mumbai, and no matter how poorly they may have fared in the interim, they’ll always have that achievement to fall back on.Wednesday’s fixture, however, is unlikely to prove much about the mindset of either set of players. In Twenty20 cricket, it is England, not India, who are the reigning world champions, although their squad has little in common with the one that triumphed in the Caribbean in 2010, and has been selected very much with a view to next year’s defence in Sri Lanka.A trio of youngsters – Alex Hales, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes – are vying for an opportunity to present their credentials, under the leadership of Stuart Broad, whose captaincy career started edgily against Sri Lanka in June, but will doubtless have benefitted from an injection of confidence courtesy of his Man-of-the-Series performance in the Tests against India.As for India’s line-up, it’s a pragmatic blend of old and new. Gautam Gambhir heads back home, and Sachin Tendulkar will sit this match out, but Rahul Dravid, at the age of 38, will make his T20I debut – in recognition, perhaps, of the liveliness of English wickets and the fallibility of some of his batting colleagues against the moving ball. With no Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Gautam Gambhir or Harbhajan Singh, among others, there’s an air of experimentation on display in India’s selection. But, ahead of the serious business in the ODIs, this is clearly the game in which to test the waters.

Dhoni slighted?

In a bizarre incident, India captain MS Dhoni was stopped from entering the area where the ECB had organised a photoshoot for the Indian players. When Dhoni walked to the indoor centre inside the Old Trafford ground, he was refused entry by a Lancashire county official since he was wearing spikes. “It is the manner in which he spoke to Dhoni that is annyoing,” Shivlal Yadav, the Indian team manager said.
The official remained adamant despite Dhoni’s attempts to explain his case. According to Yadav, at that point Dhoni decided to walk away. The Indian management has reported the matter to John Carr, the director of operations at the ECB.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
England LLWWW
India WWWWL

In the spotlight

In the build-up to their triumphant World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, England stumbled upon a pair of hard-hitting openers in Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb almost by chance. The challenge, with a year to go until the defence of their title, is to find a combination that can prove equally as explosive. Kieswetter endures, even though his problems against the moving ball appear to hamper his effectiveness in English conditions, but Lumb appeared to bid farewell in a flaccid final outing in Bristol. Into the breach, therefore, steps the young Nottinghamshire slugger, Alex Hales, whose raw power has proven effective even in the naturally swinging environment of Trent Bridge. At the age of 22, his time is now.It’s a young man’s game, so they say, but not if that man in question is Rahul Dravid. Back in 2007, when India first fell in love with Twenty20 cricket, Dravid, along with Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, opted out of the epoch-changing campaign in South Africa. He didn’t even play in India’s last World Cup victory, the 50-over version at home, but now, with his country in need of a solid batting presence on the most abject of tours, he’s finally been given his bow. In the circumstances, it’s little surprise he’s announced his retirement from the limited-overs game at the end of this tour. But before then, we’ll have a chance to see one of the game’s smoothest operators get to grips with the rough and tumble of the fastest format.

Team news

With the probable selection of Alex Hales at the top of the order, England are set to field their 19th opening partnership in 38 Twenty20s. The bowling attack is set to have a familiar look to it, with Jade Dernbach’s performance in a rain-reduced game against Ireland having cemented his value in the shortest form of the game. Jos Buttler, who once again demonstrated his big-hitting credentials for Somerset on Twenty20 finals day, could find himself squeezed out of the reckoning by fellow newcomer, Ben Stokes.England: (possible) 1 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Ben Stokes / Jos Buttler, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad (capt), 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Jade DernbachDravid’s debut coincides with the end of Gautam Gambhir’s tour. He has not been himself since thwacking his head on the Oval turf while dropping Kevin Pietersen in the fourth Test, and has finally bowed out with a concussion. Parthiv Patel, the diminutive wicketkeeper who first made his name on the 2002 tour of England, is set to open the innings, with the twin spin attack of Amit Mishra and R Ashwin also likely to get an outing.India: (possible) 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Rahul Dravid, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt / wk), 7 Amit Mishra, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Munaf Patel, 11 R Vinay Kumar

Pitch and conditions

Old Trafford had a reputation as being one of the quickest decks in world cricket, until the square was rotated as part of the ground’s redevelopment. Since then, the pitch conditions have been somewhat subcontinental, although that didn’t aid Sri Lanka in their ODI-series-deciding loss earlier in the season. The weather, ever a factor in Manchester, is set fair. Which is nice.

Stats and trivia

• England’s most recent Twenty20 against India came at Lord’s in the 2009 World Twenty20, when Ryan Sidebottom’s aggression on a lively pitch helped to defend a middling total of 153 for 7.
• The only other Twenty20 between the two teams came in Durban in September 2007, a match made unforgettable by Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in an over off England’s current captain, Stuart Broad. Yuvraj finished with the fastest half-century in international cricket, as England were knocked out of the World Twenty20 in the group stages.

Quotes

“The Test series is hard to forget because from an England point of view we played very well and confidence is high. But it’s different in the white-ball game, they have afew new players and we have to be aware of that.”
“He went to an eye specialist today and it seems he continues to suffer from concussion.”
Shivlal Yadav, India’s manager, on the end of Gautam Gambhir’s tour

Paul Nixon, the former England wicketkeeper, believes that India captain MS Dhoni has “sore hands” which could be affecting his wicketkeeping on the ongoing England tour. “I have been watching and studying the way he is keeping. From what I have seen I think he has sore hands,” Nixon said.”He normally catches the ball strong and aggressively. I have seen him keeping the ball in an exaggerated manner. You do that as a keeper when your hands are sore.”Dhoni came to England in 2007 on India’s previous tour as a wicketkeeper-batsman, unburdened by leadership duties. It was his first trip to England and he was keen to learn the right habits from the likes of Nixon, who, at 40, is still keeping wicket for Leicestershire. “We looked at certain body positions and did a few drills,” Nixon said.A combination of a relentless schedule, captaincy duties and, importantly, questionable positioning behind the stumps culminated into Dhoni committing frequent mistakes during India’s 4-0 defeat to England in the Pataudi Trophy. Embarrassingly, Dhoni missed some easy takes while his indecision to go for catches at times affected the slip fielders. In a way it also had an impact on his batting when he could muster only two half-centuries in eight innings.Nixon, a veteran of 22 first-class seasons with stints at Kent, Leicester and briefly England, could only sympathise with Dhoni. “England is one of the toughest places in the world to keep because of the conditions and pitches mainly. The touring is relentless, and as a captain you have other things to do rather than go on a little bit of practice after the odd game,” Nixon said, adding, however, that there was always a way out.”That is when you need good guys around you to say, ‘come on, let’s go and do a bit of [keeping].’ Because most times you sacrifice yourself and say, ‘I will be alright,’ and that is the type of character Dhoni is. He is a giver and a magnificent character.”Dhoni skipped the optional training session today and decided to travel to Old Trafford to watch the Premiership football game between his favourite club Manchester United and Arsenal.Nixon said that if their “paths cross tomorrow” he would be more than happy to have a chat again with Dhoni. “He is a strong character, has got a lot of pride. I am intrigued to talk to him tomorrow.”

Bradley Scott, the Northern Districts left-arm seamer, has opted out of his move to Otago this season.The 31-year-old approached the Otago Cricket Association (OCA) about moving south this summer and was offered a playing contract for 2011-12. But after much thought, Scott decided to decline the offer and will now remain with Northern Districts this summer.”I guess I made a selfish decision [to return to Otago] based on cricket goals and after a bit more consideration, I think the best decision for my family is to actually stay up here in Hamilton,” he told the Otago Daily Times.”I’ve probably let some people down. I’m just going to have to live with it, I guess. But I feel a lot more comfortable with the decision.”OCA chief executive Ross Dykes and coach Vaughn Johnson were disappointed but understood Scott’s decision. “It is a surprise and somewhat disappointing, given that it was Bradley who initiated the move,” Dykes said in a press release.”However, I well appreciate that family life must take precedence over sport and we wish Bradley, Jennie and their two girls well. Families are forever, where cricket careers can be short and fickle.”Johnson echoed the sentiment. “Obviously, I’m disappointed,” he said. “But I agree family must come first in these situations. It is just a shame we’ve gone so far down the path of thinking Bradley was coming back and now he has changed his mind.”Scott played 43 first-class games for Otago and took 142 wickets at an average of 25. He transferred to Northern Districts in 2008 but has not been nearly as effective, with just 21 wickets at 52.23.

Scorecard
Australia A took full control over a wilting Zimbabwe XI on the second day at Harare Sports Club, openers David Warner and Aaron Finch piling on a massive, unbroken 282-run stand. Their partnership took Australia A to within 20 runs of Zimbabwe’s first innings total, which had been restricted to just 300 after Peter Siddle tore through the lower order with four quick wickets in the morning.Zimbabwe welcomed back several senior players for the second of two four-day games against the Australians, and the returning Brendan Taylor had appeared to give them a base to work from as they reached 250 for 5 at stumps on the first day. Siddle laid waste to the lower order, however, using a ball that was still reasonably new to see off nightwatchman Ray Price and allrounder Elton Chigumbura in the space of an over.He removed Regis Chakabva, the last remaining recognised batsman, four overs later and soon got past Brian Vitori for his fourth wicket. Trent Copeland had Chris Mpofu caught by Luke Butterworth in the 107th over to complete the collapse, the Zimbabweans having lost 5 for 27 since Price’s dismissal.Things didn’t get much better for the hosts with the ball. Vitori and Kyle Jarvis took the new pill but neither man could break through and Jarvis leaked runs at an alarming rate. Australia A’s fifty was brought up in just the eighth over, and though Warner and Finch slowed as the ball got older they could not be prised from the wicket.Warner reached a 146-ball century shortly before tea and Finch followed him to the mark an hour or so into the final session, from 150 deliveries. Both men rattled on untroubled to the close, and Australia A will expect to build a hefty lead on day three.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outVirat Kohli was back to his old habit of anchoring chases•AFP

Followers of modern West Indies cricket won’t be surprised. It is painfully familiar. They put behind them yet another disappointment, make a good start, capitalise on it in the middle part, but stumble at the last mile. It happened this Saturday, when they were all over India with the ball, but lost all discipline and control in the last five overs. Today with the bat, they got off to a solid start, ensured minimal damage to the spin threat of Amit Mishra, accumulated steadily in the first 40 overs to reach 192 for 3, and then lost four wickets for five runs, reaching only 240 in the end.Led by a 120-run second-wicket stand between Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel, India reached home without a bother, except for the rain break at the end of the 22nd over, which left them a slightly stiffer revised target of 83 more off 90 balls. Kolhi and Parthiv came back, and for about five minutes kept taking undue risks. Kohli and Suresh Raina, though, unfurled a few big ones to finish the game off in a hurry. In scoring his 19th score of fifty or more, Kohli also became the third-fastest Indian to 2000 ODI runs.West Indies had little to celebrate in the end, but it was not always like that. Not when Lendl Simmons, Kirk Edwards, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels had given them a good start. Yet all they could look at was dispiriting. Two well-set batsmen were stumped to a part-time bowler. Another half-centurion got out to a full toss. Kieron Pollard joined Dwayne Bravo in the 42nd over, and immediately they took the batting Powerplay. Pollard went back for a duck. Bravo was soon caught at long-off, and when the catch was completed he had not even left his crease, an image that summed up the sudden brain freeze. That they still managed to reach their highest score of a home season that is seven-matches old, beating 221, speaks volumes of how ordinary the season has been.If all this was enough to drive the coach and the captain up the wall, their strategy in the field too left a lot to be desired. Their two legspinners, who had kept them alive in the previous game with a combined effort of 20-1-76-3, were not used until the 17th over on a turning pitch. By then, though, the game had slipped out of their grip.