Superb Sarwan seals the deal

West Indies 248 for 6 (Sarwan 115* , Chanderpaul 58, Agarkar 2-32) beat India 245 for 9 (Sehwag 96, Kaif 63, Bradshaw 2-41) by four wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

It was a Made-in-Guyana triumph, but given West Indian cricket's recent travails, it might as well have been made in heaven. A magnificent unbeaten 115 from Ramnaresh Sarwan, incidentally playing his 100th ODI, provided the momentum for the pursuit of 246, and a classy half-century from a hamstrung Shivnarine Chanderpaul proved as decisive as West Indies took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series with an impressive four-wicket victory at Basseterre.

As in the two games at Sabina Park, the inaugural international at St Kitts too went down to the final over, bowled by S Sreesanth with six runs still needed. Dwayne Bravo's run out gave India a glimmer of hope, but crucially, Rahul Dravid misfielded the fourth ball, allowing Sarwan a couple where there might not even have been one. The next ball was summarily dismissed to the cover fence, setting the seal on another matchwinning innings from Sarwan, whose 106-run partnership with Chanderpaul made all the difference.

India, though, have no one to blame but themselves, after a batting implosion that saw a paltry 77 runs scored in the final 22 overs. When Brian Lara asked for the final Powerplay, they were cruising at 168 for 2, with Virender Sehwag in sight of three figures, and Mohammad Kaif providing solid support. A total of 300 was plausible, but once Bravo thudded a reverse-swinging yorker into Sehwag's boot, the game started to drift out of India's reach.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni biffed and missed his way to 15 before hesitance between the wickets, and a smart bit of fielding from Gayle, sent him packing. Thereafter, with the ebullience and skill of Yuvraj Singh - ruled out with back spasms - badly missed and with Kaif unable to break out of accumulation mode, it was an eminently forgettable procession. Marlon Samuels and Gayle put the ball on a spot, batsmen were unable to work it into the gaps, and as the field closed in, they compounded their woes with some suicidal dashes between the stumps.

It could all have been so different. Having lost Dravid in Ian Bradshaw's opening over, India made all the early running thanks to Sehwag rediscovering his effervescence and Suresh Raina's accomplished cameo. With the bowlers either offering too much width or pitching too full, Sehwag crashed strokes through the offside with impunity, while Raina's off-drives were struck with a panache that recalled a certain Sourav Ganguly in his prime.

Sehwag slashed one six over point of Bradshaw, and followed that with an immense shot over mid-on off Bravo, even as Kaif chipped and ran to turn over the strike. It seemed pretty effortless till the slow bowlers came on, when the gentle tourniquet soon became a choke.

Needing just under five an over, Sarwan walked in with the innings in some disarray after two marginal lbw decisions had taken the sheen off a steady start from Gayle and Samuels, opening for the first time. Samuels was given out to Sreesanth's bowling, and when Agarkar sent back Runako Morton without scoring, 246 looked a long way away.

But Sarwan started with a crashing off-drive off Agarkar and a crisp cut off Sreesanth, and after good fortune directed an inner edge wide of the stumps and down to the fence, he laced a gorgeous cover-drive off a strangely off-colour Irfan Pathan. Desperate to stem the tide, Dravid turned to spin, but while Harbhajan Singh was accurate and economical, Ramesh Powar was targetted from the start. Sarwan twice thumped him over long-on for six, and Gayle then revealed how powerful he could be with an immense stroke that struck the roof.

With options dwindling, Dravid turned back to Agarkar, easily the pick of India's bowlers. When he got Gayle to edge one, and Harbhajan outfoxed Lara, it was certainly game on, but Chanderpaul made light of a muscle strain to caress some lovely shots, including a sensational straight six off Agarkar, en route to a 58-ball 50.

At the other end, Sarwan was just imperious. Having romped to 50 in just 41 balls, he was much more circumspect as the game neared its denouement. Dravid's decision to try Sehwag tilted the match, and also gave Sarwan his century - his third in the one-day game and his first against India - with a precise late cut and two runs scampered to midwicket sparking considerable celebration in the stands. And though Chanderpaul departed soon after, the other Guyanese hero remained to the end. If last Saturday was all about Bravo holding his nerve, this was very much the Sarwan show. Whisper it softly, but the Calypso Kings might just be on the road to recovery. As for India - red-hot favourites to take the series - they find themselves with no margin for error heading into the final two games.

Rahul Dravid lbw b Bradshaw 0 (1 for 1)
Played all around one that darted back a touch

Suresh Raina b Bradshaw 26 (62 for 2)
Aimed to play on the legside, bowled off the pads

Virender Sehwag lbw Bravo 96 (174 for 3)
Struck in line on the toe by a reverse-swinging yorker. Was a long way down

Mahendra Singh Dhoni run out (Gayle) 15 (211 for 4)
Given out after a direct hit from the bowler. Too close to call

Mohammad Kaif run out (Chanderpaul) 63 (216 for 5)
Short of his ground after Rao had tapped one to short point and set off

Irfan Pathan c and b Samuels 1 (219 for 6)
Return catch looped up after the ball stopped a little

Ramesh Powar b Sarwan 1 (224 for 7)
Bowled round his leg via pad and glove

Venugopal Rao run out (Edwards) 12 (233 for 8)
Sold short after Agarkar had followed his drive onto the stumps at the non-striker's end

Ajit Agarkar c Lara b Bravo 8 (243 for 9)
Mistimed a big hit to midwicket

Marlon Samuels lbw Sreesanth 11 (30 for 1)
Struck in front shuffling across. May have been a touch high

Runako Morton lbw Agarkar 0 (31 for 2)
Beaten by movement inwards, but may have missed leg stump

Chris Gayle c Dhoni b Agarkar 40 (116 for 3)
Got the edge after a lazy drive

Brian Lara c Dravid b Harbhajan 5 (131 for 4)
Played for the turn, off the leading edge to slip

Shivnarine Chanderpaul lbw Pathan 58 (237 for 5)
Struck in front by a full toss, was shuffling across

Dwayne Bravo run out (Pathan) 1 (241 for 6)
Stranded after Sarwan stopped halfway through the second run