ICC World Cup 2015: Virat Kohli ton drives India to 300/7

ADELAIDE: Virat Kohli got back to form with a skillful century as India posted a competitive 300 for seven against arch-rivals Pakistan in the opening group league encounter of the ICC Cricket World Cup, here today.

Electing to bat on a warm afternoon, Kohli continued his love affair with the Adelaide Oval as he hit a composed 107 off 126 balls with eight boundaries.

Pakistan's death bowling needs to be complimented as their young fast bowler Sohail Khan (5/55) checked the Indian surge.

India wobbled in the last five overs, losing five wickets for only 27 runs which stopped them short of the projected score of 325.

En route his 22nd ODI century, Kohli joined Sourav Ganguly as the second-highest century maker for India in ODIs with only Sachin Tendulkar (49) ahead of him. But he did eclipse Tendulkar's highest individual score (98) by an Indian against Pakistan in any World Cup game.

Along with Shikhar Dhawan (73) and Suresh Raina (74), the trio pulverised a Pakistan bowling attack, which ran out of ideas by the 20th over itself.

What Dhawan and Kohli started with a bang was finished with a flourish due to Raina's 56-ball knock that had five fours and three sixes.

Raina upped the ante as soon as he came in as he carted the Pakistani bowlers in the arc between square leg and deep mid-wicket. All his sixes were hit in that particular region as the opposition attack ran short of ideas.

Much depended on the 7 feet 1 inch tall Mohammad Irfan (0/56 in 10 overs) but Indian batsmen's meticulous homework and Pakistan's lack of it were evident during the Kohli-Dhawan partnership.

It was patient yet authoritative knock from Kohli, where he built his innings brick-by-brick rather than playing scintillating shots. It wasn't a flurry of boundaries but liberal sprinklings of ones and twos with the boundaries interspersed in-between.

The testimony to his patience was his first 50 came off 60 balls while the second 50 took as many 59 deliveries.