A Virender Sehwag century steered India to a record World Cup total as debutants Bermuda were crushed by the biggest ever one-day victory margin of 257 runs on Monday.
India piled up 413 for five before Bermuda were skittled for 156 in the Group B encounter, allowing the 1983 champions to surpass Australia's previous record winning margin of 256, achieved against Namibia in 2003.
They also eclipsed Sri Lanka's previous Cup highest total of 398 for five made against Kenya in 1996.
The result will keep alive India's qualification hopes after their shock opening game defeat by Bangladesh on Saturday.
However, they still need to defeat a formidable Sri Lankan side convincingly in their third and final group game on Friday to be in contention if three teams tie on points.
Sehwag emerged from a prolonged slump in form to blaze an 87-ball 114 for his eighth one-day hundred. He set the tone in a 202-run second-wicket stand with Saurav Ganguly (89) after Bermuda put India into bat.
Yuvraj Singh (83 off 46 balls) and Sachin Tendulkar (57 not out off 29 balls) then tore into Bermuda's lightweight bowling to pile up 122 from just 63 balls for the fifth wicket.
India's win would have been even more emphatic had it not been for Glamorgan's David Hemp, whose defiant 76 not out put India's victory celebrations on hold until the 44th over.
Paceman Ajit Agarkar and leg spinner Anil Kumble took three wickets each.
CUT LOOSE
India grabbed a golden chance to show off after Bermuda asked their shaken rivals to take first strike at the Queen's Park Oval.
Sehwag, coming in at number three despite calls to drop him from the team, cut loose to stroke his first hundred since April 2005.
The 28-year-old had scored just one fifty in his last 14 innings.
Bermuda's 17-year-old paceman Malachi Jones struck with his first delivery to remove opener Robin Uthappa (3) in the second over when policeman Dwayne Leverock flung his 19-stone frame at slip to produce a stunning one-handed catch.
Sehwag quickly turned things around as he struck 17 fours and three sixes until he mistimed a heave off paceman Kevin Hurdle and holed out to Jones at deep mid-off in the 30th over.
Ganguly, 34, looked set for a Cup record fifth hundred until he was stumped off spinner Delyone Borden, who had dropped a stiff chance off Hurdle when he was on 14.
Yuvraj and Tendulkar added 136 runs in the last 10 overs with the latter hoisting seamer Hemp over square leg for six in the final over as India became the first team to cross the 400-mark barrier in the 32-year history of the tournament.
Many records were broken and many were made in this match.Some of them are listed below:
# India's 413 for 5 broke the record for the highest total in a World Cup match. The previous highest was Sri Lanka's 398 for 5 against Kenya at Kandy in 1996. India's previous best was 373 for 6 against Sri Lanka at Taunton in 1999. Click here for the list of highest totals in World Cups.
# India's margin of victory by 257 runs broke the record for the largest margin of victory in ODIs. The previous record was Australia's 256-run win against Namibia in the 2003 World Cup. Sri Lanka also beat Bermuda by 243 runs on March 15.
# India pillaged 203 runs in the last 20 overs and 136 in the last ten overs. Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh added 122 runs off 62 balls for the fifth wicket.
# Malachi Jones became the first bowler to take a wicket with his first delivery in a World Cup when he had Robin Uthappa caught by Dwayne Leverock at slip.
# Virender Sehwag's 114 off 87 balls was his first century in World Cups, beating his previous highest of 82 in the 2003 World Cup final against Australia. He took just 81 balls to reach 100, making it the third fastest in World Cups. It was also his first one-day hundred since April 2005.
# There were five ducks in the Bermuda innings, equaling the record for most ducks in a World Cup innings. The three other instances were; England v West Indies at Lord's in 1979, Canada v Sri Lanka at Paarl in 2003 and Sri Lanka v India at Johannesburg in 2003.
# When Sourav Ganguly hit his second six during his 89, he equalled Ricky Ponting's record of 25 sixes - the most in World Cups - though Ganguly has played ten matches less than Ponting.
# Before his 57 off 29 balls today, Tendulkar had batted at No 6 only thrice, with a highest score of 36. The last time Tendulkar batted at No 6 was against Zimbabwe at Indore in November 1993.
# For the third time in four days Ponting's record of eight sixes against India in the 2003 final was under threat. First Herschelle Gibbs and then Brad Hodge smashed seven each against Netherlands and today Yuvraj hit seven before holing out while attempting the eighth.
# India's tally of 18 sixes equalled South Africa's record for most sixes in an innings. South Africa set the benchmark during their match against Netherlands on March 16.
# Dwayne Leverock's spell of 10-0-96-1 was the second most expensive 10-over spell in World Cups. The two most expensive figures are Martin Snedden's 12-0-105-2 against England in 1979 and Ashantha de Mel's 10-0-97-1 against West Indies in 1987.
# The partnership of 202 between Sehwag and Ganguly was the eighth double-century partnership in World Cups. Incidentally, four of the eight 200-plus stands belong to India.
Now lets see how the Men In Blue fare against the Lankan lions.. :)
