India and West Indies will meet in a one-day international for the first time since the farcical end to their series in October as they prepare to square off at the Cricket World Cup on Friday.

The Caribbean team was visiting the sub-continent for a five-match ODI series, although only three were completed - with the tourists calling a premature end to the venture due to a pay dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

India won the series 2-1, with two of the five scheduled ODIs abandoned - with the Board of Control for Cricket in India noticeably aggrieved.

Remnants of unrest among West Indies' camp was prevalent early in the tournament, when they were humbled by ICC associate nation Ireland - with WICB president Dave Cameron re-tweeting a post that criticised opening batsman Chris Gayle.

Since, the Windies won back-to-back games over Pakistan and Zimbabwe - Gayle crunched a double-century in the latter - before being taken for 408 runs by AB de Villiers' South Africa in a heavy defeat in Sydney.

They remain in danger of failing to qualify for the quarter-finals out of Pool B, with Pakistan and Ireland joining them on four points.

India, meanwhile, have no such concerns after going unbeaten through the campaign, and in some style.

Big victories over Pakistan, South Africa and United Arab Emirates have seen MS Dhoni's cup holders get off to a flying start in Australia.

With India and South Africa looming to lock up the top two spots in the group, it is left for the Windies, Pakistan, Ireland and possibly Zimbabwe (two points) to fight for the knockout stages.

Jason Holder's men should be well equipped for bowling on the Perth pitch, but they will need to match India's batting firepower.

Gayle's mega 215 against Zimbabwe aside, he has made only another 43 runs in his other three knocks, while Marlon Samuels has similarly struggled - he scored 133 against the African minnow, but has only 59 runs in three innings aside.

Opener Dwayne Smith (72 runs at 18) is another who has been struggling.

In contrast, India's batsmen and bowlers alike have been firing.

Virat Kohli (186 at 93) and Shikhar Dhawan (224 at 75) have done the groundwork in the middle, while spinners Ravi Ashwin (eight wickets at 13) and Ravindra Jadeja (four at 29), and quicks Mohammed Shami (six at 11), Mohit Sharma (five at 16) and Umesh Yadav (four at 25) have worked brilliantly in tandem.

The onus is on West Indies to get a result, otherwise their quarter-final fate may rest in the hands of their rivals.