Yuvraj smashed one of his typically dazzling centuries and comeback man Dinesh Karthik struck a solid 67 as India set the West Indies a stiff 340-run target.

West Indies put up a brave fight with a 65-run first wicket stand between C.H Gayle and R.S. Morton and a third wicket 51-run partnership between R.R Sarwan and S. Chanderpaul, though losing wickets at regular intervals.

The match tilted towards India after Chanderpaul was out for 63 in the 36th over bowled by Yusuf Pathan.

However, a promising eight-wicket stand of 44 runs between D.E. Bernard and D. Ramdin kept the West Indies hope alive at the end.

But Indians quickly came back into the game and bowled out the West Indies for 319 with 11 balls to spare.

Earlier, Yuvraj (131, 102 balls, 7 sixes, 10 fours) and Karthik (77b, 1×6, 6×4) set the Indians on course for a big total with their 135-run third-wicket partnership.

It was further consolidated by an 86-runs fourth-wicket stand between Yuvraj and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (41, 41 balls, 1×6, 1×4) off who earlier won the toss and decided to bat.

In the rear, Yusuf Pathan chipped in with 40 not out (38b, 2×6, 2×4) and Harbhajan Singh 21 not out (13b, 2×6) to swell the total to 339 for six.

The start, however, was not encouraging with both Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma succumbing to short-pitched deliveries, trying ambitious shots. Gautam top-edged a hook off Jerome Taylor and Sharma perished failing to control a pull off David Bernard.

Yuvraj’s spectacular innings fetched him the man of the match title.

After a horrendous performance at the Twenty20 World Cup, India will look to restore pride while their opponents would love to transform the fine form they exhibited in England into the one-day internationals.

India, who entered the World T20 as defending champions, returned empty-handed, much to the chagrin of their fans. In fact, it was the seven-wicket loss to the West Indies in the first SuperEights game that dented India’s hopes.

Tiredness and injuries were said to be the cause of India’s demise, but they have had close to two weeks to relax and prepare for this series in the Caribbean.

Apart from restoring pride, India will consider this as an opportunity to leapfrog Australia, and target chart-toppers South Africa in the ODI rankings. They are currently placed third.

Needless to say, this promises to be an invigorating series. India haven’t played an ODI series since their tour to New Zealand in March.

However, their recent record has been impressive. They have lost only three of their last 18 matches, and have emerged as one of strongest ODI sides over the last year.

But then, the West Indies could be a tricky opposition, especially in their backyard. Despite making the semis in World T20, their tour to England could be termed miserable. They were thrashed in the Tests and also in the ODIs.

India will go into the match with a minor advantage though. They have been in the Jamaican capital since last Friday while the West Indies players – including a few fresh faces -started arriving only on Tuesday. Yet West Indies coach John Dyson has a warning for the Indians.

“We will play aggressive cricket, we will play to win as always, and we will aim for consistency,” said Dyson.

“We always look at the opposition and try and determine who the key players are for the opposition and think of ways that we may combat those key players.”

The short ODI series against India is part of a busy home programme for the West Indies, who also host Bangladesh for two Tests, three ODIs and a T20 international in July and August.

Squads (from):
West Indies: Gayle (capt),  Ramdin, Baker, Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Benn, Bernard Jr, Chanderpaul, Deonarine, Morton, Rampaul, Sarwan, Taylor
India :MS Dhoni (capt), Yuvraj, Gambhir, Rohit, Harbhajan, Ojha, Yusuf, Vijay, Badrinath, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant, Nayar, Nehra, Jadeja, Karthik