India vs Pakistan: 300 was Gettable, What can You do When Your Main Batsmen Can't Stand Up, Laments Misbah

In front of a packed stadium with fans from both countries in equal numbers, Pakistan batsmen gifted India yet another World Cup match on Sunday - the sixth to be exact. Chasing a target of 301, only captain Misbah-ul-Haq waged a lone war with a 76 as India won the Pool B match by 76 runs in Adelaide. (Match Report)

On a track which suited batsmen, Pakistan never looked in control of the chase as MS Dhoni made full use of the pace and spin options at his disposal. His plans were aided by the abject surrender of Pakistani batsmen. "India put up a big total but 301 was gettable on this track," Misbah said at the post-match ceremony. "The pitch was very good but many of our batsmen never really got in and were dismissed early."

Misbah, who has never scored a century in his 156 ODIs, rued not being able to close in on the target. He, however, also gave credit a strong Indian bowling attack. "They bowled really well. What can I say? We lost in the middle when we lost three wickets," said Misbah. (Virat Kohli in Love With Adelaide After Breaking Sachin Tendulkar's World Cup Record vs Pakistan)

Pakistan next face West Indies on Saturday and Misbah said the only option ahead was to forget the Adelaide defeat - the biggest in terms of margin in all World Cups. "We have to look forward, can't get into this game and not concentrate on next. We need the momentum back," said the 40-year-old.

While a win in the next match can help Pakistan erase memories of their most recent loss, India will face South Africa on Sunday with renewed vigour. After their first major win since their flight Down Under, Dhoni is counting on the momentum to aid World Cup campaign. "I'm very happy with the performance today, especially that of our batsmen," he said. "We gave a cushioning of 15-20 runs to our bowlers which was crucial."

In what was their highest total against Pakistan in their six World Cup encounters, India cruised to 300 on the back of knocks from Virat Kohli (107), Suresh Raina (74) and Shikhar Dhawan (73). "When batting first, it isn't easy to start here. There's variable pace. Shikhar and Virat's long partnership was crucial and Raina accelerated when needed which was great for us," said Dhoni. While Kohli's century was his 22nd in the format helping him draw level with former India captain Sourav Ganguly, Dhawan's knock at the top was crucial as the opener has been out of form of late. (Hate Losing, my Role is to Hold the Innings Together: Virat Kohli)

The biggest strength for India, however, would be the sheer volume of fans backing them Down Under - a fact Dhoni acknowledged. "Fans have come from India and that helps. I saw many in the hotel lobby and Australians were wondering what's happening. So, thanks a lot to them," he said.

After an almost a ten-day break, the Indians looked re-energised on Sunday. Their next match is a week away and Dhoni promised to train hard and sweat it out for wins.