India and West Indies play to a thrilling draw
India captain Dhoni denied last laugh on day of swinging fortunes
Mumbai: Indian spinners Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin plotted a sensational West Indies collapse before the third and final Test ended in a thrilling draw with scores level on the last day yesterday.
Left-arm spinner Ojha finished with 6-47 and off-spinner Ashwin with 4-34 as the West Indies were dismissed for 134 in their second innings in the morning after losing their last eight wickets for 43 runs.
India finished at 242-9 chasing a 243-run target, with young middle-order batsman Virat Kohli scoring an impressive 63 and explosive opener Virender Sehwag riding his luck to smash a 65-ball 60.
It was only the second time that a Test had been drawn with scores level, the other match being between England and Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in 1996.
Clean sweep hopes
The hosts needed three runs to win in the last over with two wickets in hand, but fast bowler Fidel Edwards conceded only two to prevent India from making a clean sweep.
India won the first Test in New Delhi by five wickets and the second match in Kolkata by an innings and 15 runs.
"Some of the shots we played were not called for and we paid the price for it. I know the coach will definitely talk about it and, like I said, we have to bat well in both innings of a Test," said West Indies skipper Darren Sammy.
Scoreboard
West Indies (first innings 590)
Second innings
- A.Barath c Laxman b Ojha 3
- K.Brathwaite c Tendulkar b Ojha 35
- K.Edwards st Dhoni b Ojha 17
- D.Bravo c & b Ojha 48
- K.Powell lbw Ashwin 11
- M.Samuels st Dhoni b Ojha 0
- C.Baugh b Ashwin 1
- D.Sammy c Dhoni b Ashwin 10
- R. Rampaul c Tendulkar b Ojha 0
- F. Edwards not out 2
- D. Bishoo lbw Ashwin 0
- Extras (b-3 lb-4) 7
- Total (all out; 57.2 overs) 134
Fall of wickets: 1-6 2-30 3-91 4-112 5-112 6-117 7-120 8-129 9-134
Bowling: Ojha 27-5-47-6, Sharma 8-2-15-0, Aaron 4-0-23-0, Ashwin 15.2-0-34-4, Sehwag 2-0-3-0, Tendulkar 1-0-5-0
India (first innings 482)
Second innings
- G. Gambhir c Sammy b F. Edwards 12
- V. Sehwag c Sammy b Bishoo 60
- R. Dravid c sub b Samuels 33
- S. Tendulkar c K. Edwards b Samuels 3
- VVS Laxman c Barath b Rampaul 31
- V. Kohli c Sammy b Bishoo 63
- MS Dhoni c K. Edwards b Rampaul 13
- R. Ashwin run out 14
- I. Sharma b Rampaul 10
- V. Aaron not out 2
- Extras: (nb-1) 1
- Total (nine wickets) 242
Fall of wickets: 1-19 2-101 3-106 4-113 5-165 6-189 7-224 8-239 9-242
Bowling: F. Edwards 7-0-28-1 (1nb), Rampaul 16-1-56-3, Samuels 25-0-93-2, Bishoo 16-0-65-2
