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Harbhajan spins India
to innings win

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh picked up seven wickets as India defeated the West Indies by an innings and 112 runs on the fourth day of the first Test on Saturday.

The 22-year-old from Punjab bowled out the visitors, who needed 301 to make India bat again, for 188 just 50 minutes after lunch on the fourth day. The West Indies had started the day 91 for one.

It was the 10th career five-wicket innings for Harbhajan in only 29 Tests and takes his tally to 127.

He finished with seven for 48 from 28.3 overs as India registered their first innings win in 76 Tests against the West Indies.

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble added three wickets on a Wankhede stadium wicket, where the ball had started to turn and bounce prodigiously.

Kumble, India's most successful contemporary bowler with 340 wickets, had picked up four in the paltry West Indies first innings of 157. India had earlier compiled 457 with centuries from Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid.

FORM REVERSAL

The win also marked a huge reversal of form for India in Mumbai, where they had lost to both Australia and South Africa in less than three days on their last two outings.

The wily Harbhajan, lethal in home conditions when he gets an early wicket, started the day by dismissing opener Chris Gayle (42) when he mishit an attempted drive to captain Sourav Ganguly in the covers.

Kumble dismissed Ramnaresh Sarwan (22), who drove straight to Sachin Tendulkar at cover, then Harbhajan deceived captain Carl Hooper (1) in the air with his flight and held a simple return catch.

Hooper, playing his 100th Test, had top-scored with 579 runs in his team's 2-1 Test series win over India in the Caribbean earlier this year.

With their best batsman Brian Lara out of the series due to hepatitis, the West Indies had little chance after that against the Indian spinners.

Kumble dismissed left-hander Ryan Hinds (2) and wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs, who got a pair, off successive deliveries.

Guyanese left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who had scored 54 in the first innings, was the only batsman to put up any resistance in the second, ending unbeaten on 36.

Chanderpaul added 41 for the seventh wicket in a breezy stand with compatriot Mahendra Nagamootoo (18). The pair, punished Kumble for three boundaries in one over.

Nagamootoo was granted a life on five when he miscued Harbhajan to mid-off. Kumble dropped a simple running catch due to a collision with Sanjay Bangar.

Harbhajan picked his fifth victim just before lunch when a ball jumped at Mervyn Dillon from outside the off-stump and took his outside edge en route to Rahul Dravid at slip.

Chanderpaul and Pedro Collins (8) held off the Indian spinners for 45 minutes after lunch but by then it was only a matter of time.

Harbhajan had Collins caught by Dravid when he tried to go for a big hit and then took a low catch off his own bowling to dismiss last man Cameron Cuffy.

Sehwag was named man-of-the-match for his explosive first-innings century.

The second Test starts in Madras on October 17 and the third and final match of the series will be played in Calcutta from October 30 to November 4.

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