India, Feb. 11 -- In and of itself, India's final league fixture against West Indies at The Wanderers meant little in the context of the 2009 Champions Trophy. Both teams were already eliminated coming into this game at the Bullring on September 30. West Indies had been squarely beaten by Pakistan and Australia while India, who were drubbed by their continental neighbours in their opener, were officially out of the reckoning once their fixture against the Aussies was abandoned due to rain.

It was the third consecutive Champions Trophy where the Indians had failed to advance beyond the first phase. In England in 2004, after defeating Kenya, India suffered their first loss to Pakistan in an ICC competition, going down by three wickets in a...