Sweet, sweet, Port-of-Spain. Thirty-one years after their first win in the Caribbean, and twenty-six since their most famous one, India triumphed once more at the Queen's Park Oval. It was their first Test victory outside Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in over 15 years, and it came at a time when their authority at home, let alone overseas, was being questioned. They have surpassed the expectations of their billion supporters, many of whom must have stayed up till a god-forsaken hour of the night to watch what might happen. At the moment Cameron Cuffy guided Zaheer Khan to gully, the Indians exploded to the reality that this had been special. It had been a long and frustrating wait.

It was a Test full of key moments, starting with the team selection, and then the toss. West Indies, for the first time in 13 Tests, fielded a pace quartet and then Carl Hooper inserted the Indians. By stumps on day one, it already looked unwise, for the sameness in the attack on what appeared a fair surface for batting.

India had made a trickier choice still. Playing the extra seamer meant keeping out Harbhajan Singh or Anil Kumble. Sourav Ganguly was reported to have been so torn apart by the decision that he summoned a panel of senior players to cast a vote. Harbhajan won. Spare a thought for Kumble. Last year he missed the ending of Australia's golden run - and now he's missed the finest overseas victory India have had during his career. Well, that's life.

The last day was the rollercoaster everyone expected. So what did it for India? Brian Lara's half-hearted dab? Hooper's well-intentioned but loosely-executed pull? Comeback kid Junior Murray's daft piece of running? Mervyn Dillon staying true to his word last night? ("I don't think I will need to play a role with the bat." He didn't – he was bowled first ball and he got no bat on it.) Or just the modern West Indian propensity to collapse?

In 12 of their last 13 innings, West Indies have crumpled in a manner that would embarrass any self-respecting piece of aluminum foil. The statistics tell the tale. Sixty-six wickets have fallen for a total of 365 runs in the course of these collapses. They were always prone to suicide on this last day, but they needed help. The Indian bowlers did so, just as the middle-order batsmen had hung in during difficult times earlier in the match. For that, take a long, hard bow, India.

Start with Javagal Srinath, who was sterling. He has been saying that it is time that he won Tests for India abroad. His searing spell of 11-2-21-2 in the afternoon was pin-point accurate, and his body language aggressive, rather than lethargic. He was different from his usual self. He could have been Man of the Match.

Ashish Nehra, for removing Lara and Hooper within ten minutes of one another and really bringing the day alive. Sachin Tendulkar for not failing, yet again, and emerging as the only centurion in the Test. VVS Laxman, who made 143 vital runs in the match and once more showed that he likes it when the heat is on.

And Sourav Ganguly, who has rarely ever practiced harder than prior to and during this Test. In an optional net on the eve of the match, he chose to grind through hour after hour of drills against the short ball, and while the first three men were batting on the first morning, Ganguly was once more sorting a few things out in the practice area. He is captain of a team that has done something memorable, but his biggest contribution has been to do what he was selected to play for India in the first place: score runs. Hundred for the match, and 75 of them, without getting out, in the second innings. He was desperate – desperate - to win. He deserved this one.

Rahul Bhattacharya is a staff writer with Wisden.com India. His reports will appear here throughout the Test series.

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