The crushing victory was set up by man of the match Virat Kohli who continued his passionate romance with the Adelaide Oval, scoring his fourth century in only his seventh innings here. Already, Adelaide has become Kohli's happy hunting ground in the same way that Sydney was for Sachin Tendulkar, Port of Spain for Sunil Gavaskar and Eden Gardens for VVS Laxman.
Kohli had been below par in the recently concluded tri-series and warm-up matches, but he usually reserves his best for the big stage and they don't come any larger than this. He offered two chances - at 3 and 76 - but apart from that, there was almost a sense of inevitability as he serenely cruised to 107 off 128 deliveries. It's not only the first century scored by an Indian in a Cup match against Pakistan, but also the highest score by a player from either side in an India-Pakistan World Cup game.
Full Coverage: ICC World Cup 2015
Kohli now has 22 ODI centuries and is joint second with Sourav Ganguly for most ODI tons scored by an Indian. Already hailed as an all-time ODI great by the likes of Viv Richards, he is bound to score many more tons, but few will be able to match this one for significance.
There was lots more for India to feel good about. Shikhar Dhawan (73 off 76 balls) and Suresh Raina (74 off 56 balls), who had both been struggling for form going into this match, clicked when it mattered and helped set up India for a big score. The team stuttered towards the end, losing 5 wickets and scoring just 25 runs in the last 5 overs, but the momentum built up by the top order was enough to propel the score to 300/7 - a record for an India-Pakistan World Cup game.
The Indian attack, long derided as toothless, seemed energized by the prospect of bowling with some runs in the bank. Mohammed Shami was justly rewarded for some hostile spells with figures of 4-35. M S Dhoni too did almost everything right as captain, including winning the all-important toss and choosing to bat. He also reviewed correctly, getting the dangerous Umar Akmal declared caught behind off Ravindra Jadeja after the umpire had initially ruled in the batsman's favour.
For a change, Dhoni was spot-on with his field placements. The fielders obliged, cutting off runs and taking some sharp catches. The Pakistani batsmen did the rest, imploding under the pressure of the big chase as skipper Misbah-ul-Haq was left forlornly waging a lone battle. His 76 off 84 balls helped prolong the Pakistan innings till the 47th over but the match had ended as a contest long before the final wicket fell.
Before Sunday, India had managed to spend almost three months in Australia without winning a single official match. They couldn't have picked a better opposition and occasion to get off the mark. There are still many concerns about the team, which may well be exploited by stronger rivals. But its prospects are suddenly appearing a whole lot brighter.
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