Finally, Team India manages a win Down Under

ADELAIDE: India required a team like Afghanistan to finally make their presence felt on this tour of Australia. Without doubt, the huge 153-run victory in their final warmup game at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday has come at the right time.
With their opening match against Pakistan just four days away, India will go into the World Cup in a more positive frame of mind.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for once, played what seemed like the best XI, giving clear indication of his preferences for the crucial match on Sunday.
Though India had the option to use all 15 players, they stuck to just 11, with Stuart Binny and Bhuvneshwar Kumar being benched for the game.
After initial hiccups, the batsmen too responded well, with Rohit Sharma hammering a century (150; 122b, 12x4 7x6), and Suresh Raina batting the way he is expected to. The two had an alliance of 158 runs for the third wicket. Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli had fallen cheaply after India opted to bat first.
Towards the end, Ajinkya Rahane carted the bowling to all parts of the oval to collect a quick 88 (61b; 12x4, 2x6) as India posted an imposing total of 364 for five in 50 overs. They then restricted the minnows to 211 for 8 to notch up a convincing win, with Mohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja grabbing two wickets apiece.
India's openers have been bothered by the bounce generated with the new ball, and it was no different against the tall Afghan bowlers. The victims were Dhawan and Kohli.
The cheap dismissals of Kohli in particular have hurt India time and again, as he has failed to get going in the ODIs after a successful Test series. However, his teammate Raina reckons good form is just round the corner and the team is not worried by Kohli's lack of runs.
Luckily for India, Sharma was at his attacking best after he was joined by Raina at the fall of two early wickets. He was his second century on the tour, surpassing the 138 against Australia in the tri-series.
Of course, this being an unofficial match, it will not be counted towards his career stats. Raina also joined in the fun, making run-a-ball 75 (71b, 5x4, 3x6).
What was heartening about Sharma's knock were his strokes off the back foot. He pulled the short balls with consummate ease to collect a bagful of fours and sixes.
Raina, on the other hand, was circumspect to begin with but as he gained in confidence, he too began to strike the ball fluently.
He could have joined Sharma as a centurion, but not for the first time, he was run out needlessly. In the warm-up game against Australia too he was run out going for a high-risk run.
His departure gave Rahane the chance to get set and play a long innings. It was his effort that helped India cross the 350-mark. However, like Kohli, skipper Dhoni too has yet to play a substantial innings.
Today he managed just 10 before throwing his wicket away. That should be a bit of concern as India play two of the strongest teams first up in the World Cup, Pakistan here on Sunday and South Africa in Melbourne the Sunday after.
The bowlers too had a good workout, though it is difficult to rate their performance against the minnows. It was significant that Dhoni used both his spinners - Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin - for their full quota, and even got part-timer Raina to bowl three.
India's real test begins now. It is the right time for them to get their act together in a bid to defend their World Cup crown.
Brief Scores:
India 364-5 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 150, Ajinkya Rahane not out 88, Suresh Raina 75) beat Afghanistan 211-8 in 50 overs (Nawroz Mangal 60, Usman Ghani 44) by 153 runs.