Woeful Whimper...

India paid the price for tinkering with the winning combination and somecasual batting performance as the West Indies recorded a comfortablethree-wicket victory in the third one-dayer to keep themselves afloat in thefour-match series today.

After restricting India to 268 in 48 overs on a good batting track, thevisitors overhauled the target with 38 balls to spare in the day-night clash atM.A. Chidambaram stadium, reducing the hosts' lead to 2-1.

Marlon Samuels struck a cavalier 98 from 95 balls while skipper Brian Laramade a typically scintillating 83 to guide the Caribbeans home.

Lara, back in the side after missing the previous game with a knee injury,and Samuels put on a match-winning partnership of 127 runs for the fourthwicket.

India made as many as five changes to the team that won the previous match,in a bid to try out new players keeping the World Cup in mind but the movebackfired with only Robin Uthappa coming good.

India's total could have been better after being placed at 232 for 3 in the35th over.

Uthappa smashed a hurricane 70 and his tempo was sustained by SachinTendulkar and skipper Rahul Dravid who hit sparkling half-centuries.

Tendulkar answered his critics with an orthodox 60 while Dravid made anenterprising 57 but their dismissals within three runs proved to be a turningpoint.

As it were, India could add only 36 runs in the next 13 overs while losingseven wickets. More criminal was they failed to use their full quota of 50 overs.

Dwayne Bravo, after conceding 19 runs in the first over, returned with 4-39while Chris Gayle (2-57) and Jerome Taylor (2-45) benefitted from the Indians'hara-kiri.

Uthappa provided the Indians a flying start with his 41-ball knock. TheKarnataka batsman plundered 11 fours and two sixes while adding 88 runs for thesecond wicket Suresh Raina (23).

Thanks to the 21-year-old's attacking batsmanship, India raced to 100 in 11.3overs and 150 in the 20th over.

The right-hander, who reached his fifty off only 32 balls, fell while tryingto loft Chris Gayle and ended up top edging him to Lendl Simmons at long off.

Tendulkar, who has been through a lean patch, played a smart innings insustaining the momentum provided by Uthappa.

The Mumbaikar eschewed ambitious shots - his innings contained only two fours- and focussed on picking the gaps.

With the ball coming on nicely, Tendulkar showed his touch against the WestIndian seamers. The stand out was a typical push-drive to the long on fence offDarren Powell.

After reaching fifty off 52 balls, Tendulkar fell to a brilliant catch byRunako Morton who leaped to hold on to a mistimed drive at mid on.

Dravid was more open in his shot-making than his senior partner. He strucksix fours in his 67-ball innings, his strokes balancing Tendulkar's calmness atthe other end.

Ajit Agarkar gave the Indians a promising by having Gayle and Morton in hisfirst 10 balls.

The right-arm seamer had Gayle for the second time off successive delivery,having dismissed the left-hander at Cuttack.

The tall Jamaican was out in similar fashion as in the previous game, legbefore to an in-swinger, off the first ball of the innings.

Morton then chased a wide delivery in Agarkar's next over to be caught behindfor one.

Samuels and Devon Smith (33) then repaired the damage with a 65-run standbefore the latter succumbed to a reflex catch by Dravid at first slip off AnilKumble.

But the Indians ran into an impregnable in the combination of Lara andSamuels who found the true Chepauk pitch very much to their liking.

While Samuels flexed his muscles in spanking the home bowlers, Lara displayedhis artistry, particularly against the slow bowlers.

Samuels reached his fifty off 42 balls with nine fours. He hit three morefours before edging Agarkar to Karthik.

Lara smashed 10 fours and two sixes before top edging Ramesh Powar to Uthappa.

PTI