India cruise past Windies on Yuvraj show

Chennai, March 20: Yuvraj Singh hit a maiden World Cup century and then grabbed 2-18 to help India to an 80-run win over West Indies in the last group match of the World Cup on Sunday. India secured second place in Group B and a quarterfinal against defending champion Australia after rattling out eight batsmen for 34 runs as West Indies was dismissed for 188, chasing 269 to win.

West Indies must rally quickly to have any chance of beating Group A winner Pakistan in the first of the quarterfinals at Dhaka on Wednesday. India plays Australia the following day at Ahmedabad. Yuvraj struck 10 fours and two sixes and shared a 122-run stand with Virat Kohli (59). The left-handed Yuvraj was dropped twice by West Indies captain Darren Sammy early on and cashed in with 113 from 123 balls.

Ravi Rampaul returned a career-best 5-51 for West Indies, including the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar in the first over of the match. Rampaul had been called into the team as a late replacement for Kemar Roach. Opener Smith led West Indies reply and combined for a 57-run stand with Darren Bravo and 63 with Ramnaresh Sarwan (39) but the match-deciding slide started when he was bowled by Zaheer Khan, who finished with figures of 3-26.

'The game really changed once Zaheer gave us the breakthrough, until then Devon was batting really well,' said Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, adding that his squad had improved from its previous match. 'I am sure we will be at our best in the quarterfinals. That's the positive I will take out of this.'

The back-to-back partnerships had boosted West Indies' hopes of a first win over a major team since June 2009, but a patient India suddenly struck back to rush through the middle and lower order. Bravo (22) had thrown away a promising stand with a careless loft to Harbhajan Singh at long-on off Suresh Raina, but Smith and Sarwan pushed the West Indies on.

Khan ended the threat in the first over of his second spell, bowling Smith for a crucial strike. Kieron Pollard hammered a ball straight to Yusuf Pathan on the boundary in the 32nd over, just three runs after Smith had fallen. And Yuvraj was the fourth Indian spinner to grab a wicket when Devon Thomas was stumped for nine and West Indies had suddenly hit serious trouble at 160-5.

Sammy was run out and the dangerous Andre Russell became Yuvraj's second victim, leaving West Indies' tail exposed as the Caribbean team again folded at Chennai from a promising position. India had made good its promise to give all of its squad members a run out in the group stage, with Ashwin and Raina brought in at their home ground for their first games at the World Cup.

West Indies rested opener Chris Gayle and paceman Roach for Edwards and Rampaul. It was Kohli and Yuvraj who held together India's innings, even as Rampaul pulled the co-host back with the first three wickets and two late strikes for a five-wicket haul in his first game at the tournament.

Playing his 450th one-day international, Tendulkar (2) walked in the first over after sending a faint edge to wicketkeeper Devon Thomas off the sixth ball of the match from Rampaul. Umpire Steve Davis had given him not out, but the sporting Tendulkar headed off for the dressing room anyway.

Opening alongside Tendulkar and in place of the injured Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir (22) struck three quickfire boundaries but fell to a catch down at third man after flashing a cut shot off Rampaul. That left Kohli and Yuvraj with the responsibility of rescuing the effort from 51-2.

Yuvraj made the most of dropped chances by Sammy when he was on nine and then 13 to score his first century in 20 World Cup games. He had three half-centuries in his latest four innings before Sunday.