India's humiliation was complete as the West Indies won the fourth one-dayerby six wickets and took a winning 3-1 lead in the five-match series at theQueen's Park Oval on Friday.
After India's batting failed to fire in unison once again and ended up with amoderate 217 for seven, the Caribbeans, starved of success against teams rankedabove them for quite sometime now, cantered home with six overs to spare.
Leading the victory charge was none other than the captain and the home heroBrian Lara who made light of the slow and double paced track to crack a masterly69.
Lara, playing in what should be his last one-dayers on his home ground,provided royal entertainment by smashing eight fours and a six from 97 balls.
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Young Dwayne Bravo confirmed his all-round potential by picking 3-32 with theball and following it up with an unbeaten 61.
While the series win would go a long way in helping the West Indies, whobegan the series as number eight in ODI team rankings, regain some of the pastglory, world number five (as per the latest LG ICC ODI rankings) India, who began as the number three ranked team, would be playing for pride in the final tie at the same venue on Sunday.
The Indians struggled on a slow track while posting a respectable total afterLara put them in.
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The Indian innings revolved around half-centuries from Yuvraj Singh (52) andMohammad Kaif (62) and a late flourish by Mahendra Singh Dhoni (46 n.o.) to gopast the 200-mark.
Yuvraj and Kaif also put on 80 runs from 98 balls for the fourth wicket togive Indian total a semblance of competitiveness.
New ball bowlers Ian Bradshaw (2 for 41) and Fidel Edwards (1 for 19) did agood job upfront while spinners Marlon Samuels and Chris Gayle bowled miserly asthey have done throughout the series, conceding just 65 runs from 16 oversbetween them.
India's inability to get going in the final overs was once again exposed asonly 81 runs accrued from the final 15 overs.
The hosts, however, had no such problems with Chris Gayle dropping anchor atthe front.
The left-hander's composed innings of 46, which included a stunning six offSreesanth that disappeared over the stands at long on, made up for the cheapdismissals of Marlon Samuels (9) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (6).
Gayle added 32 runs with Lara for the third wicket but it was the latter'sassociation with Bravo, 91 runs for the fourth wicket, that took the match awayfrom the Indians.
Earlier, the early moisture on the wicket meant runs were hard to come by andIndia lost Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Suresh Raina for only 47 runs bythe 16th over.
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Bradshaw accounted for Sehwag (11) and Raina (7), caught in the cover and inthe slips, in his first spell of five overs in which he conceded 20 runs.
Sehwag, frustrated by the slowness of the track, slammed one on the up andGayle at extra cover made no mistake with the overhead chance.
Raina cut one off the front foot to be caught in the slips by Sarwan as Indiareeled 28 for 2 by the 10th over.
Dravid (15) could get no sense of timing in his stay of 38-balls from 72minutes as he hit 16 runs with one four.
The Indian captain tried to dab one past the slips but only succeeded inoffering a low catch at second slip off Corey Collymore.
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Yuvraj batted as is his wont, on-driving and cutting fours of bowlers as thewicket showed signs of drying up and improving.
The Punjab left-hander cut and drove with elan and none of his five fours wasmore attractive to watch than the on-drive he executed off Collymore.
The 25-year old raised his half century with a single but departed soonthereafter when he glided Fidel Edwards to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr.
Yuvraj batted 78 balls for his 52 runs and India were now 127 for 4 in the32nd over.
Kaif himself raised his third half century from four games and had progressedto 62 when he was deceived by a slower delivery from Bravo. He faced 84 ballsfrom 105 minutes and hit five fours.
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Bravo (3-32) struck twice in the 49th over when he had Irfan Pathan (8) scoopa catch to Collymore at slip and then clean bowled Ajit Agarkar for nought.
Dhoni appeared keen to make his first worthwhile contribution of the seriesand didn't open his shoulders until the final overs.
He swatted Bravo over his head in the 47th over, repeated the dose againstCollymore in the 48th and then cheekily swept Collymore to fine leg fence in thefinal over.
Dhoni finished on 47 from 64 balls and hit six fours when the innings closed.
India made just one change bringing on Yuvraj for Venugopala Rao while WestIndies rung in as many as three replacements with Wavell Hinds, Collymore andDwayne Smith coming in for Renuko Morton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and JeromeTaylor.
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PTI
