Virat Kohli's ton helps India beat Pakistan

A classy hundred from Virat Kohli helped India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by 76 runs in their opening World Cup encounter which was played at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

India's captain, MS Dhoni, won the toss and chose to bat first and the decision paid off in the end, as his batsmen came good on a placid surface.

Pakistan broke India's defences early and dismissed opener Rohit Sharma in the eighth over for just 15. His departure brought Kohli to the crease.

The right hander and his partner Shikhar Dhawan began cautiously, as they attempted to play out the new ball. They looked to rotate the strike frequently, when the boundaries were hard to come by.

In the process, Kohli offered a pair of difficult chances, and Pakistan needed to clasp at least one of them in order to restrict India to a less lofty total.

But Yasir Shah failed to hold on to a running chance at deep midwicket when Kohli had made just 3 and a well-pitched left-arm orthodox from Haris Sohail evaded the gloves of Umar Akmal.

Kohli made amends for the missed chances by Pakistan and made them pay. His 129-run stand for the second wicket with Dhawan put India in command and then a 110-run partnership with Suresh Raina helped India inch closer to the elusive 300-run figure.

When Raina and Kohli were motoring towards the end of their partnership it seemed as though 330 was plausible but following Kohli's dismissal in the 46th over, India's lower-middle order found it difficult to maintain the tempo. India managed 300 in their 50 overs.

Pakistan, like their opponents, lost their opener - Younis Khan - early. Ahmed Shehzad and Haris Sohail put on a 68-run stand for the second wicket. Sohail's dismissal in the 18th over, brought captain Misbah ul Haq to the crease.

Pakistan's talisman fought a lone battle and top scored with 76, before he was dismissed. His departure signalled the end to Pakistan's resistance and they managed just 224 in reply to India's total.

"Amazing way to begin our World Cup. Big game against Pakistan, amazing fight from them. I just looked to stand up to them because I hate to lose and play passionately. I like the expectations. Last couple of days were tough. My role in the team is to bat through, and the power-hitters can play around knowing that one end is secure. The way Shikhar and Suresh batted today is commendable. The support has been magnificent. We expect the same throughout the tournament," Kohli said.