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Windies crush India to win series

Faisal Shariff

India vs West Indies: 7th ODI Vijaywada

Scorecard Graphical Analysis

India were jolted in their own backyard by a West Indies side not given any chance of winning the one-day series. But for India to win an entire series without the services of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh it was asking a little too much.

The Indian batting failed to successfully chase for the first time in the series and lost the last match of the series by 135 runs. But then which side other than India has chased scores of 300-plus on a regular basis. The batting -- despite today's debacle -- is still amongst the best in the world and can flower if the bowlers get their channels right and bowl to the plan discussed at the drawing board.

Coach John Wright has been searching for a fifth bowler for the World Cup, but the sad fact is India does not have four bowlers who can walk into any international side.

India lost the game in the last five overs of the West Indies innings, which cost 69 runs. The defeat only highlighted the need to desperately identify bowlers who can compliment the batsmen.

India's inability to face genuine pace was exposed as Jermaine Lawson's opening spell of seven overs had 21 short deliveries. Half a world away the bouncy tracks of South Africa await this Indian team, which is loaded with some of the finest stroke-makers.

West Indies innings

During the series, the opening pair of the West Indies had regularly sent the Indian bowlers on a leather hunt. Today, when Gayle was dismissed cheaply, the Indian camp exhaled.

However, Marlon Samuels walked in to bat at number five. With a 73-ball century, punctuated with five huge sixes and sleek boundaries, Samuels took the total to a commanding 315.

An innings devoid of brutal slogs is a treat in the abridged version of the game. But Samuels was silk, never hitting the ball too hard; never losing sight of the singles (34), always playing straight and driving through the line of the delivery. Eighty-one of the 100 runs were scored in front of the wicket and Samuels's passage from fifty to his maiden one-day century was lightning fast.

It was an emotional moment for the batsman as he pulled off his glove, reached for a small tattered red cloth, and waved it. Wishing him luck, Steve Waugh had given the cloth to him two years ago when he made an impression on the Australian tour.

Sitting in the dressing room with his soldiers battling the Indian troops, General Carl Hooper was skimming through the pages of Sun Tzu's The Art of War.

After losing the toss to stand-in skipper Dravid in the morning, Hooper had spoken like a true warrior. He said his side had been scoring heavily and it was time to defend this time.

On a track that promised another run-feast and some glimmer of hope to the spinners, India included Sarandeep Singh in place of Reetinder Singh Sodhi while the Windies replaced the unfit Pedro Collins with Lawson.

Ajit Agarkar, who was the man-of-the-match at Jodhpur, bowled a brilliant opening spell with veteran Javagal Srinath, offering no room to the openers to free their arms.

Stalling the efforts of the West Indies, Srinath had Gayle driving uppishly to Mohammad Kaif in the third over. The West Indies ploy to send Shivnarine Chanderpaul ahead of Samuels flopped, as he was caught at mid-off for 6.

Two wickets down for 16 runs and the game seemed to be tottering towards a low-scoring affair. Wavell Hinds and Sarwan toiled, but boundaries were difficult to come by -- just four in the first 14 overs.

Sanjay Bangar and Murali Kartik failed to repeat their bowling performance of Jodhpur as Hinds picked the boundaries and raised the scoring rate. Kartik bowled too full and was taken for runs by Sarwan.

Sehwag got through the defences of Hinds, who had completed his tenth half-century in one-dayers as the West Indies were comfortably placed at 132-3.

Samuels came out and displayed a great exhibition of uncomplicated batting to the 30,000 spectators at the Indira Gandhi stadium. Sarwan, who was hoping to get to the three-figure mark for the first time, was trapped in front by Agarkar for 83. Another successful tour has gone without the promised hundred; the West Indies, though, won't be worried too much about it. In another year the team will be revitalised.

Sarandeep did the star turn for India, landing the ball accurately on the good-length spot to worry the Windies. To bowl ten overs for 31 runs without being hit for a single boundary in a high scoring match is an extraordinary feat. Sarandeep might not have the turn and bounce of Harbhajan, but is more disciplined and difficult to get runs off.

Ricardo Powell supported Samuels brilliantly, rotating the strike and running hard between the wickets. In the 44th over Samuels decided to make the wavering Indian bowling pay. Bangar was elegantly picked for three consecutive boundaries before Srinath conceded 21 runs in the 47th over. The scoring sequence was 4,6,4,2,4,1 as Samuels made the 300-run mark seem within sight.

Of late Srinath's predictable slower deliveries have cost India dearly. Sixty-nine runs were scored off the last five overs, with the Samuels-Powell hundred-run partnership taking a mere 60 balls.

Samuels walked back undefeated with a 75-ball 108, spiked with 10 fours and five sixes, as 120 runs off the last ten overs saw the West Indies total rocket to 315-6.

India innings

India had to get off to a screaming start to cap the high-scoring decider. Thus the onus was on Virender Sehwag to bludgeon the West Indies opening pace attack of Vasbert Drakes and Lawson.

Sehwag flashed at a couple of strokes, before Lawson, who was bowling at speeds in excess of 140 km/h, got an edge that zipped through to skipper Carl Hooper at first slip. V V S Laxman came in and hit an exquisite boundary past point, well aware of the fact that he had to score at a faster rate than he had all through the series.

Dinesh Mongia struggled to connect and never seemed to get on top of Lawson. Laxman square drove Lawson to the fence, but was caught when he tried to repeat the shot. India were 56-2 after 10 overs, with Laxman dismissed for 22.

In the next over, Mongia was yorked by Lawson as India slumped to 59 for 3. The batsman failed to grab the chances that came his way over the past few months and it looks unlikely that he will fly to South Africa next year.

Rahul Dravid flicked Lawson only to see Ramnaresh Sarwan arrest a blinder with one hand at short mid-wicket. The catch turned the match on its head even as India were recovering from the full-blown assault by Lawson, who grabbed all four wickets.

At 67 for 4, inside 15 overs, the eternal optimist still hoped that Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh would do an encore and win the match for India.

When Kaif dragged a delivery from Corey Colleymore on to his stumps, India's hopes, at 99 for 5, set behind the Indrakeeladri hills.

The sixth wicket fell in the form of Sanjay Bangar with the score at 107. From thereon it was a matter of crossing the 't's and dotting the 'i's for the West Indies, as they consistently picked up wickets with Yuvraj Singh fighting a lonely battle.

Chris Gayle picked his third wicket when he bowled Yuvraj Singh for 68. The Indian scorecard read 180.