India And West Indies Draw After Scores Level In Dramatic Finish

India And West Indies Draw After Scores Level In Dramatic Finish

Darren Sammy (left) and Ravi Rampaul celebrate a wicket during the incredible final day in Mumbai

©REUTERS / Action Images

West Indies 590 & 134 (Ojha 6-47) drew with
India 482 & 242-9 (Kohli 63, Sehwag 60)
Third Test, Mumbai
Scorecard | Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four

The third and final Test between India and the West Indies was sensationally drawn with the scores level after India were left with one wicket remaining following an extraordinary final day.

17 wickets fell as the West Indies were bowled out for 134 in their second innings to set India 243 to win. They then closed on 242 for nine as wickets continued to tumble throughout the final session.

Only once before in the history of Test cricket - when England played Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 1996 - have the sides finished level in a drawn Test and this match had no less drama, particularly on the final day, which was distinctly out of character from the rest of the game.

Batsmen had dominated the opening four days as nine men scored half-centuries while Darren Bravo (166) and Ravichandran Ashwin (103) reached three figures before the tables were turned at the end of the series.

The West Indies resumed on 81 for two and subsequently lost eight wickets for 53 as they failed utterly to front up against the top-class spin attack of Pragyan Ojha (6-47) and Ashwin (4-34) who ripped through the line-up.

Once Kraigg Brathwaite (35) and Bravo (48) had been dismissed and their 61-run partnership was ended, the tourists crashed, losing eight wickets for just 34 runs in a remarkable collapse that threw the game wide open, giving India 64 overs to reach 243.

India started briskly with Gautam Gambhir taking the lead role, hitting 12 in 11 balls and Virender Sehwag making 60 in 65 deliveries.

A double strike from Marlon Samuels removed Rahul Dravid for 33 and Sachin Tendulkar for three to reduce India to 113 for four and again put the match in the balance.

VVS Laxman then made 31 and Virat Kohli 63 to push India forward to 165 when Laxman was caught by Adrian Barath off Ravi Rampaul.

Kohli followed up his maiden Test half-century in the first innings with a second fifty and looked likely to take India to victory despite the dismissal of Mahendra Singh Dhoni (13) until he was caught at short third man by Darren Sammy off Devendra Bishoo, much to his chagrin immediately after an injury to Sammy had caused a two-minute delay to proceedings.

India's chances were left with first-innings hero Ashwin and Ishant Sharma and they steadily chipped away at the total as the West Indies missed several run out chances as India took a few risks with their running.

The game turned again in the penultimate over when Sharma was bowled by Rampaul, who finished with figures of three for 56, for ten.

With four runs needed from the final over, Varun Aaron picked off a single, as did Ashwin and from the final ball, the two players completed one run to tie the scores but Ashwin was run out by substitute fielder Denesh Ramdin and wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh well short of his ground as Aaron attempted an unlikely second run.

Ashwin, who also took five wickets in West Indies' first innings of 590, was named as both the man of the match and the man of the series, which India claimed 2-0 courtesy of a five-wicket win in Delhi and an innings-and-15-run win in Kolkata.

© Cricket World 2011