|
 India's dream of an overseas series win once again suffered a setback as they crashed to a humiliating ten-wicket defeat in the third Test against West Indies here to squander a 1-0 advantage in the five-match series. On a ground that has been historically troublesome for them, India just about managed to avert an innings defeat, and were shot out for 296 in their second innings, thus setting a target of only five runs for the West Indies for a
series-levelling win.
Skipper Sourav Ganguly remained unbeaten on 60, the top-score of the innings. West Indies, who enjoyed a 292-run first innings lead, knocked off the required runs without any trouble, the winning shot coming from the bat of Stuart Williams who hit Harbhajan Singh for a four in the second over.
India's low total in the second innings followed their paltry 102 in the first to which West Indies replied with 394, thanks to centuries by skipper Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. India have now lost seven of the eight matches they have contested at the Kensington Oval here, with only the history-making 1971 team under Ajit Wadekar managing to play out a draw.
The inevitable was delayed by a defiant 74-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Ganguly and Zaheer Khan who dazzled in his career-best knock of 46 off just 45 balls after India had lost a few quick wickets in the morning. India resumed at their overnight 169 for four and lost V V S Laxman in the sixth over of the day with the addition of just 14 runs. The Hyderabadi batsman once again flattered only to deceive. He played some elegant shots on the off-side before snicking Pedro Collins to Hooper in the slips.
Laxman slashed and cut Collins for three fours before his dismissal on 43, having batted for 104 minutes and hitting seven fours from 88 balls. Like in the first innings, Ganguly was left to wage a lone and grim battle in the company of the tail-enders which included wicketkeeper Ajay
Ratra.
Ratra showed his best form of the tour so far but could not go beyond 13 when he was ruled out leg before to Dillon in his first over with the second new ball. He batted for 45 minutes and hit two fours from 33 balls. Harbhajan's poor run with the bat continued and he was out for only three runs and India had lost three quick wickets for the addition of 29 runs in the morning.
But Zaheer Khan was a revelation. After overcoming a hesitant start, he pulled Adam Sanford for a six over mid-wicket and followed it up with another in the same fashion in the bowler's next over. Sanford, who was also hit for two fours by Ganguly, conceded 24 runs in those two overs and was promptly taken off. The two batsmen brought India within seven runs of the 292-run mark when Zaheer was dismissed off the first ball of the last over before lunch.
Zaheer tried to drive Ramanaresh Sarwan but only managed an edge to give a low catch to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs. Sarwan, who has been very impressive with the bat in this series, picked up his first Test wicket. More was in store for Sarwan when India resumed after lunch at 285 for eight. Javagal Srinath's attempted drive off the first ball after break flew straight to Chris Gayle at gully and Sarwan found himself at the threshold of a hat-trick.
 Ashish Nehra denied Sarwan that distinction and the Indians wiped off the deficit in the next over by Cameron Cuffy after which Ganguly hit the bowler for a boundary. Those four runs was all that the Indians managed as lead and Nehra was caught by Pedro Collins at long-on in the next over to give Mervyn Dillon his fourth wicket of the innings and eighth of the match. Dillon was adjudged the man of the match.
Ganguly remained unbeaten in both the innings, having top-scored with 48 not out in the first innings too. He batted with a lot of patience and stubbornly held on to his end even while wickets kept tumbling from the other. The two teams now move to Antigua for the fourth Test which starts on May 10. India had won the second Test in Port of Spain by 37 runs.
|
