The West Indian resurgence continues. If their victory at Jamshedpur was remarkable for the manner in which they held their nerve amid all the distraction off the field, then this one was an object lesson in planning a stiff run-chase. Not often have words like clinical, professional and nerveless been used for the current West Indies team, but those are apt descriptions for their performance today.

On a pitch where batsmen could confidently plonk their front foot and drive through the line, restricting a powerful Indian batting line-up to less than six an over was creditable. Then came the run-chase, planned to perfection.

Chris Gayle has always looked a more potent one-day batsman, and this track was ideal for his style of batting. His booming drives, especially off Ashish Nehra, drove the bowler to distraction and ensured that West Indies were never behind the eight-ball, despite a superb effort with the new ball by Javagal Srinath.

Then, when the opening partnership was separated, West Indies had just the man to keep the momentum going. Marlon Samuels's 51 at Jamshedpur had gone almost unnoticed, simply because it was so effortless and risk-free. Here, he batted in similar vein and deserved many more than the 52 he got. One shot spoke of his tremendous class: a length ball from Anil Kumble was lofted over cover for a one-bounce four with an ease which was a clear indication of his precocity.

That West Indies achieved the target with only a late cameo from Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and no contribution at all from Carl Hooper, indicates they had plenty left in reserve. The West Indian batting line-up always promised much; now, with a large dose of confidence injected through their performance in the last Test and the first one-dayer, they look every bit as formidable as the Indian batsmen.

For India, what was supposed to be a stroll in the park has suddenly become serious business. A 0-2 scoreline after two matches is hardly what they would have expected, but a large share of the blame must fall on the think-tank.

The experiment with Ajit Agarkar was expected, expecially after his 95 at Jamshedpur, but it was ridiculous to see Harbhajan Singh walk out at No. 5. It reeked of overconfidence and arrogance – an attitude which suggested that they could get away with any outrageous tactic they tried.

Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh are two of India's in-form one-day batsmen, but the quaint shuffling around of the batting order has meant they have hardly got the opportunity they deserve. Kaif tonked a few around, but Yuvraj registered his second failure in two matches.

Worse, India went into the match with five specialist bowlers, and yet were unable to defend a run-rate of six an over. For the second match in a row, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble were handled with impunity, and more damningly, sent down only six overs each.

India have plenty of catching up to do, and could begin by doing away with some of the experiments that have yielded little success. For West Indies, a rare, and significant, series win beckons.

S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com in India.

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