West Indies 315 for 6 (Samuels 108, Sarwan 83) beat India 180 all out (Yuvraj 68, Lawson 4-57) by 135 runs
Scorecard

The God of Averages was bound to strike and West Indies reaped the bounty. Thrashing India by 135 runs after being asked to bat first, they clinched the series 4-3 and reassured the bowling tribe that a target of 315 and thereabouts can be defended after all. West Indies had made 324 and 301 earlier in the series and lost both those matches. Not this time.

First, Marlon Samuels stunned India with the innings of his life, making 108 in 75 balls of breaktaking aggression; then Jermaine Lawson delivered the knock-out blow by mopping up the Indian top order.

Flown in to replace Merv Dillon, Lawson's fresh limbs and extra pace made the difference. His seven over spell got rid of Virender Sehwag (12), VVS Laxman (22), Dinesh Mongia (12), and Rahul Dravid (3). At 67 for 4 in the 14th over, when Dravid departed, caught spectacularly by Ramnaresh Sarwan at short midwicket, India were staring at a lost cause.

Yuvraj Singh's stroke-filled innings of 68 was the lone defiance that India hurled at the West Indian bowling. Timing the ball with his signature flair, he smashed seven fours and a six to save India even more embarrassment. When he fell, last man out, bowled by Chris Gayle, the match was already long dead and decaying.

It was a remarkable allround effort by West Indies, for a side roundly written off before the series. Lawson, his new-ball colleague Vasbert Drakes, and Corey Collymore bent their backs and expectedly earned more life out of the wicket than the Indian new-ball bowlers.

One such extra-effort ball got rid of Virender Sehwag (23 for 1), who was doomed when the ball climbed more than his jab outside the off stump expected. Hooper pouched the catch at second slip and Lawson ran down the pitch, arms raised in celebration. West Indies had taken the first big step to ensuring that a side asked to bat first won for the first time in the series.

In overcast conditions and fading light, India's hopes quickly receded thereafter, as the last eight wickets collapsed for 124. A 32-run stand for the ninth wicket between Yuvraj and Sarandeep Singh (19) only delayed the inevitable.

West Indian hopes soared in the last 11 overs of their innings. Going into the 40th over at 185 for 4, all hell broke loose from Marlon Samuels's bat. In an innings of breathtaking aggression, Samuels collared the bowling after Ramnaresh Sarwan (83) departed in the 38th over. Poker-faced as usual, Samuels went berserk in Javagal Srinath's ninth over – the 44th of the innings - smashing 21 runs to have Rahul Dravid cover his mouth in horror with his wicketkeeping gloves.

Worse was to follow, as West Indies proceeded to take their boundary tally of the innings to 27 fours and five sixes. The last 11 overs fetched an incredible 130 runs, including a fifth-wicket stand of 101 in 10.1 overs between Samuels and Ricardo Powell (30).

Samuels reached his first ODI hundred and waved a red handkerchief given to him for luck by Steve Waugh. His 108, with 10 fours and five cleanly hit sixes, helped ensure that India had to chase 6.30 runs an over.

Seventy-eight runs came off the last six overs and the Indian bowling figures were looking like a tornado had struck them. Murali Kartik went for 68 off nine, Sehwag had given away 59 off seven and Sanjay Bangar's five overs cost 39. Sarandeep, playing instead of an injured Harbhajan Singh, was the odd one out. Varying flight, pace and angle, his figures of 10-0-31-0 did him enormous good for his future.

It was Sarwan again who started the turn-around for West Indies, after they were reeling at 16 for 2 in the sixth over. He first did the rescue act and then again missed his hundred, falling lbw to Ajit Agarkar. His 83 off 100 balls and the 132-run third-wicket stand with Wavell Hinds put West Indies on the road to another massive total – which this time they defended with surprising and, for the home side, disappointing ease.

Raja M is a frequent contributor to Wisden.com in India.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd