West Indies 285 for 6 (Hinds 93, Sarwan 83*) beat India 283 for 6 (Agarkar 95) by 4 wickets
Scorecard

Not even the worst efforts of the moronic section of the crowd could thwart West Indies, and Ramnaresh Sarwan in particular, as they registered a memorable four-wicket victory in the first ODI of the seven-match series, at Jamshedpur's Keenan Stadium. Needing three from the last ball, Sarwan picked up a knee-high full-toss from Ajit Agarkar and smacked it to the cover fence before embarking on a victory run that he will cherish for some time.

Play was held up for a quarter of an hour with West Indies needing just 13 from 18 balls, after supposed fans started pelting the players with plastic bottles, in addition to starting the obligatory bonfires and cracker explosions in the stands. When the players came back out, with smoke still billowing in some stands, Shivnarine Chanderpaul lost his nerve, and a big heave-ho to Ashish Nehra was easily taken by Sourav Ganguly (277 for 5).

Ridley Jacobs couldn't cope with the heat either and, after playing out four dot balls from Nehra, ran out of the kitchen, tapping the ball back to Agarkar and going for a lemming run (279 for 6). But for Sarwan's last-gasp heroics, they could have lost - and that would have been justice of the roughest kind after a batting display full of youthful exuberance.

Though Chris Gayle departed early, tapping a catch to mid-off when Agarkar pitched one up, Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels wove together an impressive 86-run partnership. Hinds enjoyed the fortune of a cat, reprieved by umpire Asoka de Silva when 6 (edge behind the stumps) and dropped by Jai Prakash Yadav off his own bowling when just 28. But between and after these chances, he was in lordly form, thumping fast bowlers and slow ones alike with impunity.

He repeatedly drove the quick bowlers through the covers and, when the spinners came on, he said hello with two sixes straight down the ground off Anil Kumble and some powerful cuts off Harbhajan Singh. It was a day to forget for the Indian spin twins, as they went for 116 runs from a combined 16 overs.

Samuels was utterly classy, easing Nehra through the covers with a touch of silk and clipping the ball sweetly off the pads when the bowlers strayed in line. There were also two magnificent hits down the ground as soon as Harbhajan ventured to the bowling crease. He made 51 from 60 balls before inside-edging Kumble onto his stumps, attempting the glide to third man (114 for 3). It was Kumble's 300th wicket in ODIs.

Sarwan and Hinds wouldn't let up, though, and by the time Nehra eventually got his man – this time, the edge to Dravid was so thick no umpire could save him – West Indies needed only 83 from 68 balls. Carl Hooper's dismissal, caught by Yadav at long-on off Virender Sehwag, gave India a thin sliver of hope but Chanderpaul and Sarwan, with some fabulous strokes through and over midwicket, ensured that a West Indian victory was the likeliest option - until the crowd had their brief say.

The day had begun well enough for India, with Sehwag going on his leather-hunt after Ganguly won the toss. He pummelled 28 from 26 balls before being undone by a nasty lifter from Vasbert Drakes that he could only miscue back to the bowler (43 for 1). Ganguly followed soon after, playing on to Pedro Collins after trying the kitchen-sink route (49 for 2).

That set the stage for an unlikely hero. Three years ago, when Agarkar was an icon for poultry farmers everywhere, the very mention of him as a pinch-hitter would have induced life-threatening laughter. But today, with a good run of form behind him, he batted superbly to rebuild the innings in partnership with VVS Laxman. He didn't always rotate the strike, but when he hit the ball, it was invariably a clean strike that found a gap in the field or the rope. Laxman was the perfect foil after a slow start, playing some gorgeous strokes off the pads as the run rate sped to five an over.

When Laxman departed, off stump disturbed by Nagamootoo's Shane Warne impersonation, Dravid came in and played his part in a rollicking partnership. Both men excelled at finding the vacant spaces square of the wicket and Agarkar also struck the ball beautifully in the V. It was an innings that probably deserved a hundred, but he fell five short when he chipped Collins straight to Gayle at cover.

Yuvraj Singh and Yadav – a five-ball duck to add to the dropped catch and a couple of fumbles in the field, hardly the stuff of stirring debuts – failed but Mohammad Kaif played a sensational innings at the end to push the score well beyond 260. He came in at No. 8 today, and we can only hope that it was a short-term experiment, such was his mastery of the situation.

A total of 283 should have been enough, considering no team had ever successfully chased more than 265 here. But the West Indian batting was as wonderful as the Indian bowlers, Sehwag apart, were poor. Another last-ball thriller for the West Indians, only this time they didn't choke. If anyone deserved to choke/be choked, it was those miscreants masquerading as fans.

Dileep Premachandran is assistant editor of Wisden.com in India.

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