Close India 325 for 5 in 47.4 overs (Dravid 109*, Laxman 66, Bangar 57*) beat West Indies 324 for 4 in 50 overs (Gayle 140, Sarwan 99*) by 5 wickets
Scorecard

Another breathtaking run-chase by India - the third-highest ever - gave them an incredible victory at the Sardar Patel Stadium and levelled the one-day series 2-2. Set 325 for victory, India got home with as many as 14 balls to spare. Leading the charge was Rahul Dravid with an undefeated 109. It was his eighth one-day hundred, and surely the most important. Sanjay Bangar, so lacklustre in the field earlier, turned it around magnificently with the bat, bludgeoning 57 off 41 balls. The sixth wicket added 94 in 10.1 overs – an onslaught to which West Indies had no reply.

At Rajkot, India had been denied a crack at a 301-run target by the unruly crowd. Ahmedabad was notorious for crowd problems, but the 50,000 spectators here were at their best, and they were treated to a magnificent run-fest.

India's run-chase began on an inauspicious note. Virender Sehwag, expected to be such a vital cog in the line-up, was nailed by a short one off the fourth ball of the innings for 4 (5 for 1), and when Sourav Ganguly was caught down the leg side for 26 (45 for 2), India were looking down the barrel. The pitch had plenty of life because of the evening dew, and Merv Dillon and Pedro Collins posed lots of problems for the batsmen, getting steepling bounce and some movement off the wicket.

Then came the early signs of resistance. VVS Laxman and Dravid began the counterattack with a series of bold strokes. Laxman wasn't entirely convincing early on, but he gradually came to grips with the pace and bounce of the track, caressing his trademark cover-drives and flicks.

Dravid didn't show as much flourish, but he nurdled the singles efficiently, and hit the occasional boundary. More than anything else, his solidity allowed the other batsmen to open out and play the strokes they might otherwise have resisted. The third-wicket partnership added 103 in less than 20 overs, when Laxman (66) was run out after a misunderstanding.

Yuvraj Singh hadn't had too many opportunities in the series, but here he played his part well, scoring a run-a-ball 30 in a 61-run stand which ensured that India didn't let the momentum slip. But India lost two of their main contributors in recent run-chases within a 32-run period. First, Yuvraj chipped one to midwicket (209 for 4), and then Mohammad Kaif, for once, failed to deliver, top-edging a pull to midwicket for 8.

At 231 for 5 in the 38th, the game seemed to be slipping away from India. Dravid was soldiering on, but the run-chase required a quick cameo to bring down an asking rate which had slipped to more than seven an over.

Bangar came in, and made a spectacular success of his job. He wasn't always comfortable against the seamers, but was merciless against the slower bowlers. Chris Gayle, so spectacular with the bat earlier, had a forgettable day in the field. He dropped Laxman in the fourth over of the innings, then was at the receiving end with the ball too, going for 15 runs in the 41st over of the innings. Bangar hoisted him over the sightscreen for six, while Dravid played a delicate cut to the third-man fence. It was the over which effectively settled the contest.

Earlier, a Gayle special lit up the Sardar Patel Stadium, as the West Indian batting might came to the fore on another excellent batting strip. Gayle stole the show, but Ramnaresh Sarwan supported him superbly, and was desperately unlucky to miss his first international century by a solitary run.

While Gayle was at the crease, it was largely a case of the other batsmen playing support cast. Ganguly inserted West Indies, and was soon scurrying for cover as Gayle launched into a magnificent onslaught which fetched 81 runs in the first 10 overs. He was especially severe on Ashish Nehra, who conceded 45 runs in his first four overs, then was banished to the outfield and wasn't summoned by Ganguly again till the last over of the innings.

Srinath brought India some relief, when Hinds nicked one for 26 (80 for 1), but the run-flow was staunched when the spinners came into the attack. Harbhajan Singh, mauled for plenty in the previous matches, came into his own with a magnificent first spell of 5-1-6-0. With Murali Kartik keeping it tight too, a brief period of quiet ensued, with a wicket to boot, when Marlon Samuels went for an impossible single and was run out for 5 (90 for 2).

India seemed to have clawed it back somewhat, but Sarwan and Gayle made sure that West Indies didn't throw away a dream start. Both milked the singles against the spinners, with the occasional big hit thrown in. Gayle's second fifty took 39 more deliveries than his first, which came in just 30 balls, but he changed gears once again after the 35th over.

By the time Gayle hit a full-toss from Sehwag straight down Kartik's throat at long-off, West Indies had moved along to 238 in the 40th, and had plenty of ammunition left for the final charge.

If Gayle's was the knock which set up the total, then Sarwan's controlled innings ensured that West Indies didn't mess it up in the middle and final overs. Content to play risk-free cricket in the middle overs, Sarwan got to his half-century almost unnoticed, then upped the tempo with Hooper, who hit a frenetic, 26-ball 37 in what seemed a perfect icing to a well-baked cake.

When India started their run-chase, everything, including history, seemed against them: only once in eight matches here had a team batting second won the match. But then, this Indian team doesn't believe too much in history.

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

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