It lasted all of four hours, India strolling to a victory as untroubled as any it will ever register in the World Cup.
In a contest that at no point resembled one, UAE puffed and panted en route to 102 before the total was overcome with predictable ease.
India will not have learnt a great deal from its nine-wicket win at the WACA ground here on Saturday. The gains, if they can be seen as such, remain limited to R. Ashwin’s career-best ODI figures of four for 25, Rohit Sharma’s half-century, and an upward revision in the net run rate.
Shikhar Dhawan struck a few boundaries early in India’s run-chase before he was caught brilliantly at point by Rohan Mustafa, who plucked the ball one-handed out of the air.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli then saw the team home with an unbeaten stand of 75 (74b).
Eye-catching shotsRohit played a number of typically eye-catching shots in his 57, striking Mohammad Naveed for three fours in the ninth over — two effortless pulls followed by a fluid off-drive.
He finished things off with a boundary, dancing down the pitch to club Mohammad Tauqir back over his head.
Kohli wasted no time either, whipping a couple off the pads and lashing Krishna Chandran, on one occasion, through the covers. It was an underwhelming day’s cricket. After the close of play, India’s cricketers entertained themselves with a game of football on the outfield. Perhaps they wanted some exercise.
Surreal feelA surreal feel hung over the contest in the afternoon when UAE won the toss and elected to bat first. There was little of the tension that had pervaded India’s previous fixtures in the World Cup.
If anything, the result of the toss had condemned a relaxed crowd of 8,718 to a truncated match and denied India’s batsmen the opportunity to flex their muscles.
In the event, it was the bowlers who would thrive, the lift and the pace off the WACA surface a genuine delight.
Umesh Yadav struck first with a sharp bouncer that proved too quick for Andri Berenger and took the top edge. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, playing in Mohammed Shami’s stead, then took his first wicket since January 18 when Amjad Ali fell to a short ball.
It was Ashwin, though, who prospered most. The bounce gave him an extra dimension to work with and he left UAE floundering.
Krishna Chandran Karate was his first victim, pushing forward to a ball that spun, rose, and kissed his glove on the way to leg slip.
The right-handed Swapnil Patil was next, consumed by a delivery that didn’t so much spin as gently move away from him.
He was caught at first slip. Khurram Khan, UAE’s most experienced campaigner, was then caught playing a sweep shot.
It was becoming apparent that the game was headed for an alarmingly early finish. Ravindra Jadeja and Mohit Sharma helped themselves to three wickets while Ashwin bowled Mohammed Naveed with a quicker ball to snaffle his fourth wicket.
Shaiman Anwar, by a distance UAE’s best batsman, then led his side past a hundred in the company of the number eleven Manjula Guruge.
Anwar struck six boundaries as the final pair added 31 runs, the best stand of the innings.
There were sarcastic cheers as the total entered three figures; UAE finished with its lowest ODI total but in the final analysis, it did not matter a great deal.
