Why this win matters

India beat the West Indies in a low scoring thriller at the Barabathi Stadium at Cuttuck by 20 runs.
Batting first India managed to get to 189, thanks largely to the efforts of KKD Karthick ( just how good a player is he!! ) and Ajit Agarkar.
In response, the Indians bowled out the West Indies for 169 runs.
Granted that the West Indies were missing Brian Lara, but even so, this Indian win is laudable. For once, despite being 90/7 at one stage, and having all the "big guns" back in the pavilion, the Indians chose to guts it out and, in the process, reached a decent total.
And with the ball, the Indians did just about everything right. Agarkar bowled a brilliant first spell, Zaheer held his end up, Harbhajan was his usual frugal self ( aided no doubt by the early wicket he got) and Sachin was Sachin with his mix of all sorts.
But the real revelation for me was Ramesh Powar. Tonked for 2 huge sixes, once by Bravo and then by Smith, he did not lose his nerve, and came back splendidly to finish with 3/42.
Powars performance mirrored India's on the field. For once, the fielding was sharp, Rahul's field placing impeccable, and the team collectively did not lose their nerve when Bravo and Chanderpaul and then Smith and Chanderpaul were stitching their little partnerships.
All too often, in the recent past, we have seen this Indian team not have the gumption for a fight. Far too often , a position of 90/7 would easily translate to 110 all out. And far too often, the Indian bowlers would try too hard on the field defending a smallish target, and the Indian shoulders would droop at the slightest signs of pressure.
Not in this game they didn't. And for me, that for me, is the biggest gain from this game.
If India can keep their wits about them when things aren't going swimmingly, then India can be a serious contender in the World Cup.
PS: Spare a thought for Joginder Sharma. A misfield off Sachins bowling gave the Windies 2 instead of 1. For a fringe player with not much to do in the game till that point, it could have been a deal breaker. For the same guy to pick himself up, and make the extra effort to prevent a boundary about a couple of overs later, speaks volumes about the guys gumption and, in a small way, sums up what India was about on this day.