Younus's undefeated 123, his fifth one-day century in 174 matches, gave Pakistan their fifth victory while chasing 300 or more runs for victory and revived their fading hopes of a place in the final.

Pakistan reached their victory target of 309 for the loss of only two wickets with 4.3 overs to spare after India had compiled 308 for seven from their 50 overs.

If Sri Lanka beat India on Thursday, Pakistan have to defeat Bangladesh in the final league match by a big margin to play in the final. Sri Lanka have already qualified.

Younus shared partnerships of 56 with Nasir Jamshed (53), who retired hurt with cramps, and an undefeated 144 from 123 balls with captain Misbah-ul-Haq (70 not out).

Younus also passed 5,000 international one-day runs in his innings of 117 balls which contained 11 fours and one six.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (76) and Rohit Sharma (58) provided the basis for India's competitive total.

Dhoni, who came into bat in the 13th over, was out in the penultimate over after hitting four boundaries from 96 balls.