India will, however, have to restrict South Africa to 121 if they want to qualify for the semifinals, which is going to be a difficult proposition on a slow track where Dhoni has decided to play without Harbhajan Singh.
It was Raina whose contribution was a significant one as he hit five boundaries during his 34-ball knock. Skipper Dhoni also should be complimented for his 13-ball 23 as it provided the necessary impetus and helped the team cross 150-run mark.
Dhoni hit Dale Steyn for 14 runs in the penultimate over, including two powerfully struck boundaries, which proved useful in the end.
India's trouble started when they lost their top three batsmen within the Powerplay overs and then it was Raina who scripted the recovery act.
Opener Gautam Gambhir started off with a lovely cover drive but Morne Morkel knocked down his middle-stump after scoring only eight.
In-form Virat Kohli got one from Jacques Kallis that reared up and he gloved it for rival captain AB de Villiers who dived to pouch onto a spectacular leg-side catch. Kohli made just two.
Virender Sehwag lofted left-arm spinner Robin Peterson for a huge six over long-on but lost his off-stump trying to repeat the stroke the next ball. The situation demanded a bit of discretion but as his wont, the 'Nawab of Najafgarh' went for the jugular only to deepen India's misery.
