India Win Series 4-1 Lead By West Indies

India survives Pollard's pyrotechnics

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Manoj Tiwary's maiden ODI century scored over Kieron Pollard's as India registered a 34-run win over the West Indies in the fifth and final ODI at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday. The victory gave India the series 4-1.

The 26-year-old Tiwary (104, 126b, 10x4, 1x6), playing his sixth ODI, and Virat Kohli (80, 85b, 5x4) helped India post 267 for six — after the team lost two wickets in the first over — following stand-in skipper Gautam Gambhir decision to bat.

In pursuit, the West Indies folded in the 45th over for 233, despite Pollard's ruthless six-hitting spree that saw him clearing the ropes 10 times.

Irfan Pathan's first-ball strike and a couple of contentious decisions saw the West Indian chase stalled on 78 for five in the 16th over, before Pollard (119) and Andre Russell (53) — who was dropped by Parthiv Patel on 35 — brought it back on track.

Crucial dismissal

The two added 89 in 79 balls for the sixth wicket and the West Indies needed 101 to win in 21.1 overs when Russell was run out at the striker's end by a Gambhir throw from short third man — a dismissal that strangulated the chase.

Skipper Darren Sammy did his side no favours by edging Ravindra Jadeja to point after having wasted 14 balls for three runs. Pollard, six of whose ten sixes came off Jadeja, was left to rally the tail around him.

He was fortuitous to get his first ODI century. The team was nine down and Pollard on 99 when Kohli dropped him at the long-on boundary, the resultant four giving the West Indian his hundred.

Pollard was finally the last man out when he went for his 11th six and was caught well by Rahane at long off.

Earlier, Tiwary featured in two stands that took the initiative away from the West Indies. He added 83 with Gambhir (31) for the third wicket and collaborated for 117 in 18.5 overs with Kohli for the fourth wicket.

The partnership ended when the centurion retired with cramps, a ball after reaching his landmark in the 38th over.

Like in Ahmedabad — when Ravi Rampaul pegged back the chase with a double blow in the second over — India started in a similarly wretched manner at Chepauk with two first-ball ducks.

Kemar Roach thundered in with the new ball and trapped comeback man Ajinkya Rahane (in for Virender Sehwag) on the second ball of the innings with one that kept a shade low. Parthiv Patel played on next ball to leave the home team two down in three balls.

Tiwary played out the hat-trick ball with a measure of safety and continued to eschew risks as Gambhir and he took things ahead. The Delhi left-hander was out leg-before to Martin in the 19th over, and soon after Tiwary brought up his fifty.

India's 150 came up in the 31st over before Tiwary and Kohli added 100 runs for the fourth wicket in 99 balls. The Bengal batsman eased an inside-out six off Sunil Narine, the most economical of the West Indies' bowlers, to reach his highest List A score (96) and a couple of overs later glanced the same bowler to the fine-leg fence to reach his first ODI, and List A, hundred in 125 balls.

Tiwary retired hurt the very next ball, ending his partnership with Kohli was replaced by Rohit Sharma.

Kohli and Rohit added 40 in 7.2 overs before the former got out on 80 failing to clear long-on against Martin in the 46th over.

Narine (10-1-41-1) bowled a maiden to Irfan Pathan in the 49th over and India's innings culminated at 267 for six.

India Vs West Indies 5th ODI at Chennai Live Score,Cricinfo

50 overs India 267 for 5 (Tiwary 104 retd, Kohli 80) v West Indies 40/4 11 Overs

India were missing their four biggest ODI batting stars but that didn't prevent their next generation from piling on 267 for 5 on a slow-and-low track in the final one-dayer against West Indies in Chennai. Manoj Tiwary stated his case for a permanent place in an increasingly crowded middle-order with his maiden one-day century and Virat Kohli eased to the top of ODI run-chart for 2011 with a business-as-usual 80.

It was Tiwary's first opportunity of the series, and he came in with a charged-up Kemar Roach on a hat-trick, two balls into the match. Not only did he prevent a hat-trick, but played an innings that was the bedrock of a score that should prove difficult to chase for West Indies. India should have reached closer to 300 but once Tiwary retired hurt with cramps on a humid Chennai afternoon, West Indies' spinners pulled it back a touch.

It was an important innings for a player who was only getting his sixth game in nearly four years, spread across four different series. He had never made a hundred even in domestic one-dayers, and his previous highest score in internationals was 24.

Unlike Tiwary, Ajinkya Rahane, another man getting his first game in the series, flubbed his lines as the match got off to a cracking start. He picked up a golden duck as Roach got a short of length delivery to stay low. Another player who squandered his opportunity was Parthiv Patel, who now ends the series without a substantial score despite getting four chances in the top order. Parthiv also collected a golden duck, edging Roach onto the stumps to leave India at 0 for 2.

Tiwary walked in and was greeted with a sharp bouncer. He kept it out uncomfortably, but grew more assured as the innings progressed. He got going with a pleasing push past mid-off for four, a stroke he repeated with precise placement off Sunil Narine in the eighth over. With Ravi Rampaul out injured, the West Indian attack lacked bite, and Tiwary had a mostly untroubled time. A flick from outside off past midwicket for four off Darren Sammy in the 15th over showed his confidence.

At the other end, Gambhir did his bit with a mix of sharp singles and panicky running. He picked up 20 singles in his 28, adding 83 with Tiwary before being trapped lbw by legspinner Anthony Martin.

That didn't prove a setback for India though, as Virat Kohli gave another example of his increasing ease at the international level. He worked risk-free singles off seven of his first eight deliveries, and opened out once he got used to the pace and bounce of the track. Kohli and Tiwary put on 43 runs in a five-over spell starting from the 27th - it wasn't even the Powerplay and was supposed to be part of the 'boring' middle overs with the field spread out.

By this stage, Tiwary was struggling with cramps. All his boundaries since the opening Powerplay had been on the leg side, but on reaching 90, he drilled Narine inside-out over long-off for a six. A couple of overs later , he glanced a wayward delivery to fine leg for four to bring up a cherished hundred.

He retired soon after but Kohli marched on towards his fifth ODI century of the year. He had to be content with 80 though, as he spooned a catch to long-off, causing a slowdown in the scoring. Only three boundaries were hit in the final ten overs, as Narine proved hard to read, and Martin and Marlon Samuels didn't offer any freebies.

The final stages of the Indian innings showed how difficult a surface it was to score on, but if West Indies are looking for something to cheer them, it's the Indian bowling line-up: Irfan Pathan returning after three years, Abhimanyu Mithun has never convinced in one-dayers, Rahul Sharma is playing only his second game, and the fifth bowlers' slot has to be filled by part-timers.