March 14, 2015 4:11 PM

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India win against Zimbabwe by 6 wickets

Defending champions India continued to remain undisputed in the ongoing Cricket World Cup, as Suresh Raina and skipper MS Dhoni today led from the front to successfully chase down a formidable 288-run target set by Zimbabwe in their final Pool-B match at Auckland.Sent in to bat, Zimbabwe put up a spirited batting performance, led by Brendon Taylor's 138, to post 287. They were bundled out in the 49th over, the sixth consecutive time in this World Cup that India bowled out its opposition. In reply, Team India's run chase got off to a nervy start as it lost openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma at the score of just 21. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane tried to rebuild the innings, but they too went back to the hut with just 92 on the board. From there on, Raina and Dhoni resisted brilliantly, sharing 196 runs for the fifth wicket, to successfully resurrect India's run chase. Raina, who hit his 5th ODI ton, remained not out on 110, while Dhoni, who again hit a six to finish things off, made an unbeaten 85 to help India reach the target with 6 wickets in hand and 8 balls to spare. Raina was adjudged man of the match.This was India's sixth consecutive victory in this World Cup, while for Zimbabwe, it was their fifth defeat in six games.India will play Bangladesh in the quarterfinals on Thursday.In today's other match, a rain-marred Pool-A encounter, Australia defeated Scotland by 7 wickets to finish Group-A on the second spot. Sent in to bat at Hobart, Scotland were bowled out for a paltry 130. In reply, rain delayed the inevitable for a while, as after the resumption of play, Australia overhauled the target in the 16th over with seven wickets in hand. Aussie paceman Mitchell Starc, who bagged 4 wickets, was named man of the match.Tomorrow, West Indies will take on UAE at Napier at 3:30 AM Indian Time, while Pakistan will clash with Ireland in Adelaide at 9 AM.

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