India 5-2 for World Cup after beating heavyweight rivals Australia at The Oval

India's dominant batting performance helped them win their heavyweight clash with Australia at The Oval and Virat Kohli’s side are 5-2 to lift the World Cup.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan top-scored for India with 117 while Kohli made 82 and some powerful late hitting from Hardik Pandya (48 off 27 balls) and MS Dhoni (27 off 14) took India to a total of 352-5.

Having been 4-5 before the toss, they were 1-4 after the first innings of the match and Australia struggled to keep pace with the required run-rate after miserly opening spells from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and
Jasprit Bumrah.

Australia’s top five all got starts but Steve Smith’s 69 was the highest score of the innings as Kumar and Bumrah returned to wrap up the match in clinical fashion.

The Aussies, who had won their first two games, are 7-2 to retain their trophy and 1-8 to make the semi-finals.

Betfair and Paddy Power trimmed an England-India final to 5-2 and it is 4-1 that India and Australia meet again at Lord’s on July 14.

England are 2-1 favourites with New Zealand 9-1 and the West Indies 12-1.

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