No Blinks At The Brink

India exploited a turning track to snatch a thrilling 20-run victory over theWest Indies in the low-scoring second one-dayer and take an unassailable 2-0lead in the four-match series today.

After being bundled out for 189, the Indian bowlers stuck to the taskadmirably to shut out their opponents for 169 with 10 balls to spare in aday-night encounter at the Barabati Stadium.

Dinesh Kaarthick struck his maiden half-century to help the team recover froma top order collapse while the stocky Ramesh Powar was the pick of the bowlerswith 3-42 in a match which saw fortunes fluctuate from one team to the othertill the very end.

Kaarthick scored a valuable 63 from 87 balls with seven fours, and his 62-runassociation with Ajit Agarkar lifted India from a lowly 90 for seven.

Agarkar made a vital 40 at No. 9, stretching the score after Kaarthick wasbowled while trying to steer Ian Bradshaw to third man.

Right-arm seamer Darren Powell exploited the slow and spongy nature of theBarabati wicket to grab his career best figures of 4-27.

The West Indies once again relied on opener Shivnarine Chanderpaul to takethe fight to the Indian camp.

Chanderpaul, who hit an unbeaten 149 in the first one-dayer while chasing adaunting 338-3, hit a masterly 66.

The two teams will now travel to Chennai for the third game to be playedunder lights on Saturday.

Chanderpaul almost carried his bat through before being the last man out inthe penultimate over. The Guyanese batsman revived the Windies innings from 89-5with a 50-run stand with Dwayne Smith.

Smith struck two sixes off Powar in his cautiously aggressive innings of 27before falling to the guiles of Sachin Tendulkar.

Powar then struck off his last ball of the innings when Denesh Ramdin steppedout and played all over an off-break and was bowled.

When Ian Bradshaw, West Indies' hero in the 2004 Champions Trophy final,perished to Tendulkar at 163-8, the match was evenly poised -- 27 needed off 27balls.

The Indians were one step away from victory when Powell was run out after amix-up -- 166-9.

The Indians, electing to bat, slumped to 46-4 and then 69-6 before Kaarthickcame to their rescue.

After the run-fest at Nagpur, the Indian stroke makers were brought to theearth by the dirt track of a wicket. The Indian batsmen found it difficult toadjust to the slow surface with the ball also keeping low.

The openers, Sourav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir, failed to repeat their Nagpurexploits and returned cheaply, going out to rank bad shots.

Gambhir (2) was the first to make the journey back to the dressing room,caught behind while trying to flick a Bradshaw delivery down the leg side.

Dravid adapted to the conditions quickly and played a few strokes that oozedconfidence.

He dispatched Bradshaw to the square leg ropes, used his hips to send JeromeTaylor to the same boundary and pulled Bradshaw for another four.

Ganguly departed in the ninth over as he played early to a short ball fromPowell for a simple catch to Runako Morton, leaving the hosts at 35-2.

Powel claimed Tendulkar in his next over when the Mumbai batsman, deceived bythe slow wicket, tried to turn Powell to the leg and ended up chipping it toDevon Smith at mid on.

Powel bowled intelligently to plot Dravid's dismissal with another slow stuffthat beat the defences of the Indian skipper and rattled his stumps.

Agarkar provided India a scintillating breakthrough when he had stand-incaptain and the dangerous Chris Gayle leg before for five.

But the tourists seemed to have overcome the initial hiccup when two wicketsfell for three runs, plunging them into trouble.

Devon Smith (14) was run out when he attempted a second run and MarlonSamuels (1) edged Harbhajan Singh to Gambhir at short leg.

The scoreboard gained some momentum with Dwayne Bravo coming up with somebreathtaking shots. The Trinidadian was severe on Harbhajan when the offietossed up the ball and also punished the military medium pace of JoginderSharma.

The right-hander then clubbed Powar over deep backward square leg for amighty six. But Powar had the last laugh when he had Bravo caught at short legby Gambhir.

PTI