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BIRMINGHAM: World Cup holders India continued their formidable Champions Trophy form with a rain-marred eight-wicket demolition of arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday.
The highly-anticipated encounter in front of 22,000 boisterous flag-waving supporters from both sides who packed the Edgbaston stands, was interrupted several times by bad weather over Birmingham.
In a match that was initially reduced to 40-overs-a-side, Pakistan were shot out for 165 in 39.4 overs after Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni elected to field in overcast conditions.
India were set a Duckworth-Lewis target of 168 in 40 overs, which was later revised to 157 off 36 overs, before another rain delay reduced it further to 102 in 22 overs.
India, who were 63-1 in 11.3 overs at that stage, easily scored the remaining runs with 17 balls to spare to end their group B engagements with an all-win record.
Shikhar Dhawan, century-maker against both the West Indies and South Africa, hit a fluent 48 after sharing an opening stand of 58 with Rohit Sharma.
After both openers were dismissed, Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik saw India home in a match that held only academic interest for the tournament.
Pakistan, who had already been knocked out of the semi-final race after losing their previous two games, will return home with three successive defeats.
Dhoni's men await the second-placed team from group A -- to be determined after the last round of league matches on Sunday and Monday -- in the semi-final in Cardiff on Thursday.
South Africa, runners-up to India in group B, will play the champion side from group A in the first semi-final at Oval, London, on Wednesday.
Dhoni said he was not surprised by the huge Indian support at Edgbaston and said he was delighted by the victory.
“We always get a lot of support from fans wherever we play in the world,” the Indian captain said.
“It is satisfying that India is performing well in every department.
“We are the top fielding side in world cricket at the moment and need to play with the same intensity in the rest of the tournament.”
Dhoni's said he was happy for seamer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, whose 2-19 from eight overs in Pakistan's innings, earned him the man-of-the-match award.
“Its good to see him bowl well,” said Dhoni.
“Bhuvaneshwar bowls in very good areas and can swing the ball both ways. He is someone who invariably gives us early breaks.”
India put on a dazzling display in the field as Pakistan were shot out for fewer than 200 for the third successive time in the tournament. Four bowlers claimed two wickets each and the last two batsmen were run out.
Asad Shafiq top-scored with 41 and Umar Amin made 27 not out, but there was no respite for Pakistan's batting woes.
Opener Nasir Jamshed, whose previous five innings against India included three centuries and a half-century, managed only two when he was snapped up in the slips off Kumar.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq, who was jeered during the presentation ceremony, said the stop-start kind of day contributed to his team's poor batting.
“We disappointed again with the bat, but the weather also played a part,” said Misbah.
“It is difficult when you have to take so many breaks. It ruins the concentration.
“In this tournament format, if you start badly it becomes very difficult to come back. Our bowling was okay, but they did not have enough runs to play with.”
