Kohli provided spine of Indian batting

What a commanding performance from India in what was a much-awaited, followed and hyped encounter with arch rivals Pakistan. M.S. Dhoni and his men looked everything that they had not for the last two months – composed, controlled with plans in place and well-prepared.

The team exuded a sense of purpose, which should hearten all the Indian fans. It’s just the beginning, and while it is unwise to read too much into the win, it was a very impressive start.

The two biggest pluses from the match were the return of Shikhar Dhawan’s batting form and the impressive show by the pacers. Dhoni has persisted with Dhawan for a long time, which is all right because the opener does have an X factor about his game. When you have a proven matchwinner in the side, it does make sense for a captain to give him some leeway. Dhawan’s innings was critical because the rest of the batsmen fed off this confidence.

Virat Kohli was predictably outstanding. I was not too concerned about his form during the tri-series because he was mentally worn out after almost single-handedly taking on the Australians right through the Test series. Add to that the stress of leading for the first time in Tests, and it was clear that he needed a little time away from the game.

On Sunday, he looked like the man who has 22 centuries, letting Suresh Raina do the heavy duty hitting while he provided the spine of the innings. Raina, too, played the innings that took the match away from the Pakistanis. His 74 runs were what ensured that India had 20 runs more than the par score on the day, even though they had a small collapse at the end of their innings.

The other big plus was the bowling, particularly the impressive Mohit Sharma. His control and change in pace was quite a revelation and in the company of Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami, this was the best bowling performance by the Indians in some time.

The Pakistan team must know that there is a lot of cricket to be played. They did have their moments in the match and were not out of it even when Shahid Afridi was at the crease with Misbah-ul Haq. The team is young and looked a little short on calm, but it’s always easy for them to bounce back and surprise some of the top teams.

In other news, West Indies lost to Ireland. The sad part of that news was that many expected the result because of the situation that the West Indians find themselves in. They are completely disjointed and one feels for Jason Holder who, at 23, is just figuring out his own game.

He is carrying a very difficult burden, which should have actually been given to Darren Sammy. The Irish team won in a canter and did not look challenged at any point in their run chase. It looks like a start of a very grim six weeks for the West Indians. It will take them a miracle to get out if this hole!

- Gameplan