The West Indian bowlers did a fair job today, but by no means were they on top of their game. On a pitch which afforded them considerable seam movement and bounce, the bowlers were guilty of pitching it short far too often. Surprisingly, Cameron Cuffy was the worst offender. For most of the series, his good-length percentage has been more than 80, but today, it was down to a shocking 27. The short ball was his stock delivery today – he used it 62% of the time. Adam Sanford wasn't far behind, bowling 59% of his deliveries short.

Mervyn Dillon pitched it up more often – his good-length percentage was 50 – but in trying to do so, he erred on the fuller side, bowling 11 half-volleys which were hit away for 19 runs. Pedro Collins was the most disciplined today – he bowled 56% of his deliveries on a good length, and served up only five half-volleys in 10 overs.

The short deliveries helped the Indian batsmen get a few runs. Except SS Das, who had a scoring-rate of 35% off short balls, the others who spent time at the crease got the short balls away for runs. Sourav Ganguly managed a 63% strike-rate, while Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman managed 76%. If the West Indian attack learn from today's bowling performance and pitch it further up, the Indians could struggle for runs, especially on a pitch which is showing increasing signs of uneven bounce.

S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com in India.

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