India won the four-match ODI Series 3-1

With a massive win at Vadodara, India won the four-match series against the West Indies 3-1. After being put into bat, India scored a mammoth 341/3, thanks to a fine unbeaten 100 off 76 balls by Sachin Tendulkar, which was his 41st century in one-day international. He was duly supported by Ganguly's 68, Dravid's 78 and a blistering knock of unbeaten 40 off 20 balls by MS Dhoni in the end.

In reply, West Indies kept losing wickets in regular intervals before being bowled out for 181 in 41.4 overs, thus giving India a 160-run victory. Only Samuels and Ramdin offered some resistance with 55 and 40 respectively. Sachin Tendulkar was adjudged both Man of the Match and Man of the Series. The series victory is a huge relief for Rahul Dravid who has been under severe criticism for a few months.

The find of the series was Robin Uthappa, who proved his worth by playing some flourishing shots as opening batsman. Robin can form a deadly combination with Saurav Ganguly, who is in great form. It seems that for the time being, India's opening problem has been sorted out. With two solid knocks in three matches, Ganguly proved his critics wrong and showed why he is still an asset to the Indian cricket. With Sachin back in form and Dravid playing some great innings, India can hope to do well in World Cup 2007.

The problem in the middle order also seems to be solved with Yuvraj Singh back in side and proving his fitness by fielding for full 50 overs with a stunning catch in the West Indies innings. Let's hope that we can at least reach the semifinal stage in the world cup and do our ground work then after. The series against the in-form Sri Lanka over the coming weeks will also decide how solid India's preparations are for the world cup.