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Kolkata Test drawn; India win series 2-0

Faisal Shariff

India vs West Indies: 3rd Test: Day 5 Kolkata, India

Scorecard

India declared their second innings on 471 for 8 as the Kolkata Test petered out into a tame draw on the final day, after four days of competitive cricket.

Sachin Tendulkar won the man-of-the-match award for his brilliant 176 while Harbhajan Singh collected the man-of-the-series award for his 20 wickets.

Morning session

India had a slender 56-run lead and were four wickets down at the end of the fourth day. The match was wide open. After 33 overs, in an extended morning session, Tendulkar, in the company of V V S Laxman, added 104 runs.

India stretched the lead to 160 runs and went into lunch on 299 for 4, with Tendulkar undefeated on 176 and Laxman 66.

Carl Hooper bowled the first ball of the morning, keeping a middle-and-leg line to induce Tendulkar into the sweep shot and hope for a top edge. Tendulkar thrives on challenges and got a boundary between the keeper and the leg-slip. Eleven runs were scored from the Hooper over and Tendulkar's game-plan -- to score briskly before the new ball was due -- was clear.

Along with Laxman, the batting ace kept the scoreboard moving at a run-a-minute in the first half-hour of the morning. Tendulkar pulled Hooper to the square-leg fence, then square drove him for another boundary, forcing him out of the attack.

Manoeuvering the ball down to the third-man fence, Tendulkar brought up his 150 -- the 12th time he crossed the 150-run mark -- and also the team's 250. The fifth fifty of the total was the fastest, taking merely 68 balls.

Raising his bat and bathing in the applause of the Eden Gardens, he single-handedly had swung the game India's way with resilience -- and some mistakes by the Windies bowlers.

Laxman continued with his patient play but reached his half-century, off 176 balls, with a crisp straight drive to the fence. Laxman's trait to rein in his tendency to play strokes has done a fat lot of good for India. Six fifties and a hundred since the West Indies tour early this year fail to show the invaluable contribution of Laxman to the Test side.

The new ball slowed down proceedings as the Windies pacers gave a good account of themselves and dried the runs up.

The duo crossed the 200-run mark off 370 balls and the lead crossed 150. Soon after Chris Gayle dropped Tendulkar at point, off Lawson's bowling, when he was on 172, as the visitors wilted under the relentless pounding.

India went into lunch at 299-4 with a lead of 160 and Tendulkar undefeated on 176 and Laxman batting 66.

Post-lunch session

After India crossed the 300-run mark, Tendulkar swiped at a widish delivery from Cuffy, and Gayle at point held on to the chance offered. (301-5)

Tendulkar achieved a rare record; he has now been dismissed five times in the 170s.

Tendulkar's 176 off 298 balls, punctuated with 26 fours, had shut the door on a West Indies win and trashed all talk about his loss of form.

His 214-run partnership for the fifth-wicket with Laxman came off 425 balls.

Leading by 162 runs, it would have been an interesting move for India to add another 50-odd runs quickly and throw down the gauntlet to the visitors.

Parthiv Patel and Laxman failed to show any sense of urgency and played at a snail's pace. At one stage, 45 runs came in 23 overs with the only moment of excitement coming when Laxman was dropped by Chanderpaul at first slip.

Pulling a longhop from Hooper to the mid-wicket fence, Laxman got to his century in style and raised his arms to acknowledge his second hundred against the West Indies within a year.

His fourth Test hundred came off 285 balls and was in complete contrast to the 281 he scored here last year against the Australians. His innings was punctuated with patience and saw few boundaries. In the context of the game, it was precious and satisfying even though it lacked the flamboyance that accompanies the Hyderabadi's batting.

India went into tea at 369-5 - a lead of 230 runs - with Laxman on 111 and the game set for a draw.

Post-tea session

Parthiv Patel was run-out soon after the tea break for 27. Running back for the second run, Patel failed to beat substitute fielder Gareth Breese's throw from fine leg. Ridley Jacobs threw the ball to the stumps with Patel short of his crease.

The dismissal proved to be a blessing in disguise for the spectators as it brought the maverick Harbhajan Singh to the crease. In one Ramnaresh Sarwan over, Harbhajan smashed 21 with two fours and two sixes to bring cheer to the crowd.

After scoring 26 runs off 18 balls, Harbhajan offered a simple catch to Hooper off Marlon Samuels.

Javagal Srinath struck some blows and wove a 50-run partnership with Laxman, who brought up his 150.

India declared at 471 for 8, with Laxman unbeaten on 154.