Mumbai Test Draw With Scores Level

india 482 (Ashwin 103, Tendulkar 94, Dravid 82) and 242 for 9 (Kohli 63, Sehwag 60) drew with West Indies 590 (Bravo 166, K Edwards 86, Powell 81) and 134 (Ojha 6-47, Ashwin 4-34)

The draw was the predicted result at the start of the final day in Wankhede. It was a draw alright, but instead of the widely expected borefest, the teams served up one of the most extraordinary days of Test cricket, with the game ending with the scores level for only the second time in Tests.

R Ashwin was the Man of the Match and Man of the Series, but wasn't the man of the moment for India when they needed two off the final delivery - he took a single, but bizarrely didn't set off immediately for the tight second that could have sealed the win, and the clean sweep for India. He was run out, ending an hour of almost unbearable tension that showcased Test cricket's slow-burn thrills. Fidel Edwards, a man renowned for securing nail-biting draws with the bat, had done the job with the ball in the final over this time.

A comatose Test had sprung to life on the final morning in Mumbai, as Pragyan Ojha and Ashwin ran through the West Indian line-up courtesy a combination of quality spin and atrocious shot selection. That left India a tricky 243 to get in 64 overs. Virender Sehwag then concocted another brisk half-century to set the early pace, before Virat Kohli forged his second Test fifty in two days to seal his place at No. 6 for the Boxing Day Test and keep India's pursuit on course.

With ten overs to go, India were well in control - 42 short with Kohli and Ashwin at the crease, both youngsters brimming with confident after making plenty of runs on the fourth day, and having their places for the tour of Australia confirmed earlier in the day. The pair nervelessly took India to within 19, and victory seemed a formality. That was when Kohli top-edged a catch to a hobbling Darren Sammy at gully.

That put Ashwin in the spotlight. He has revelled under responsibility all series, and but the biggest test of his temperament had just arrived. He was remarkably composed, often counselling the tail-enders as the match wound its way to an impossibly tense finish. The most common chant in Indian grounds is the "Sachin, Sachin" mantra with the first word stretched out, and the second short and sharp. A similar chant went around the Wankhede, only Sachin's name was replaced by Ashwin's.

Tea India 482 and 148 for 4 (Laxman 19*, Kohli 20*) need 95 to beat West Indies 590 and 134 (Ojha 6-47, Ashwin 4-34)

A comatose Test sprang to life on the final morning in Mumbai as Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin brought back memories of the years when India's spinners regularly ran through the opposition. A combination of atrocious shot selection from the inexperienced West Indies batsmen and generous turn left India 64 overs to try to chase 243 and complete a rare clean sweep of a three-Test series.

Virender Sehwag then concocted another brisk half-century to set the early pace, but his exit and a couple of other quick strikes left India pondering whether to go all-out for a thorny target. VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli survived a nervy phase before picking up some momentum to bring India within 95 runs of victory at tea.

Neither team would have been confident of a win at the start of play, with only 22 wickets falling in four days. It had taken India nearly six sessions to get eight West Indian wickets in the first innings, but it required little more than an hour on Saturday morning at the Wankhede. The difference between West Indies' totals was 456, the fourth largest in Test history, yet again highlighting their inability to put together two solid innings.

Darren Bravo and Kraigg Brathwaite began the morning with the same assurance they had shown on the fourth evening, as India attacked with only one spinner early on. Twenty minutes in, the game was meandering along with the lead nearing 200 when Brathwaite slapped a slightly short delivery towards Sachin Tendulkar at gully. There was still nothing major for West Indies to worry about as Bravo, West Indies' best batsman, brought up 400 runs in the series, and fluently crashed Varun Aaron for consecutive boundaries.

That changed in one over, during a spell in which Ojha gave the ball plenty of air and got it to spin. He floated a tossed-up delivery that invited the drive, Bravo responded by trying to carve it through his favoured cover region, only to edge it back to the bowler. In the absence of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the most-experienced batsman in the side was Marlon Samuels. The shot he played, though, hardly befitted his senior position in the side. Samuels jumped out three deliveries into his innings, looking to heave Ojha against the turn and out of the park. He made no contact, and Dhoni did the rest.

It was then time for Ashwin to contribute. Cartlon Baugh capped his horror match with an expansive drive that left acres of space between the bat and pad for an offbreak to saunter through on its way to the top of middle stump. Suddenly, every delivery seemed like getting a wicket. Kieran Powell, a naturally aggressive batsman, was teased by a 7-2 leg-side field, enticing him to go for the big hit against Ojha's turn. He resisted that temptation but was undone by an Ashwin arm-ball, struck on the pad after playing for the turn.

West Indies were down to 120 for 7, with all their recognised batsmen dismissed. Rolling over the tail was all too easy for India's spinners, leaving the mighty home team's batsmen a challenge over the final two sessions.

Gautam Gambhir stabbed a wide ball to gully to exit early, but Sehwag capitalised on three reprieves to power his way to a half-century. It wasn't the usual blast-from-the-start innings from Sehwag, his first boundary coming only in the eighth over. Once he got going, though, it was classic Sehwag. He pulled fast bowlers from outside off for fours, didn't give the spinners must respect, and had jaws dropping after an insouciant late dab to the third-man boundary.

His dismissal was also entertaining, top-edging to short fine leg while attempting to reverse sweep a full toss. Sachin Tendulkar was done in by the extra bounce from Samuels, and Dravid's also chipped a catch to midwicket soon after. With India at 113 for 4, thoughts turned to whether they would shut shop as they had when faced a tricky chase in the third Test in Dominica. Kohli and Laxman, though, showed India still had the intent to go for the win.

Mumbai Test IND Vs WI 3rd Test Day3 Cricinfo,Live Score Card

India 281 for 3 (Dravid 82, Tendulkar 67*, Gambhir 55) trail West Indies 590 (Bravo 166, Edwards 86, Powell 81, Ashwin 5-156) by 309 runs 

For the third day in a row, batsmen had an easy time at the Wankhede Stadium. Several of India's batting heavyweights helped themselves to half-centuries as the home side reached halfway to West Indies' 590. Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid didn't make it to triple figures, but Sachin Tendulkar was well on his way towards reaching the most talked-about milestone of the year.

West Indies didn't declare overnight, allowing their final pair to bat on, and after 15 minutes of entertaining tail-ender swings, Devendra Bishoo was bowled by offspinner R Ashwin, who completed his second five-wicket haul in his debut series.

A typically quick start followed from India's openers: Virender Sehwag routinely scything the ball through cover, and Gambhir poking the ball either side of point for runs. Gambhir was a touch loose to start with - chasing and missing several wide deliveries and surviving an early lbw appeal off Fidel Edwards - before getting more fluent.

Edwards and Ravi Rampaul bowled with aggression but there wasn't much extra bounce or sideways movement to encourage them. West Indies resorted to a defensive field half an hour into the innings - seven fielders on the off side, with two of them in the deep in front of point.

It was the least pacy of the West Indian quicks, Darren Sammy, who snapped the opening stand at 67. He got one to slide past Sehwag's inside-edge and hit the stumps, signalling with three fingers that it was the third time he had dismissed Sehwag in the series.

The tempo was predictably slower after Sehwag's exit, and West Indies could have added to the advantage after lunch. Dravid seemed to have hurt his back after slipping when Gambhir turned down a single. Gambhir had a reprieve when he guided Sammy towards first slip, where Kirk Edwards made a lazy attempt at a catch, barely getting a finger on the ball.

After those close calls, Gambhir and Dravid were more solid against the West Indian quicks. Dravid reached 13,000 runs by classically driving a half-volley for four, while Gambhir's increasing confidence was on display as he launched one over midwicket to reach his half-century. With Bishoo off the field for half the post-lunch session, getting his injured knee attended, Dravid feasted on Marlon Samuels' gentle offbreaks, crashing him through covers for successive fours.

Both batsmen were set, and the track was still a shirtfront, but West Indies managed to wheedle out a wicket, when Rampaul banged in a bouncer that Gambhir threw his bat at. The ball flew through to the keeper, and though the Snickometer showed nothing, the umpire was convinced there was an edge.

The crowd wasn't too disappointed since it brought in Sachin Tendulkar, continuing his quest for the century that has eluded him since March. Tendulkar used his feet well against the spinners right from the start, and quickly progressed to 20.

Dravid, meanwhile, worked his way to 1000 runs for the year, and his half-century soon after. He showed his presence of mind on the final delivery before tea: after he defended the ball, it spun alarmingly back towards the stumps, but he reacted just in time, booting the ball away when the it was inches away from the wickets.

Mumbai Test IND Vs WI 3rd Test Day3 Cricinfo,Live Score Card

West Indies 575 for 9 (Bravo 166, Edwards 86, Powell 81, Samuels 61, Ashwin 4-154) v India

The talk before the start of the Test had been about West Indies' line-up having only seven centuries on their resume while India's boasted 20 times as many, but two days into the match it was the less-decorated batting unit that had put on 575 for 9. Darren Bravo crafted his third hundred in four Tests to lead the way, while Kirk Edwards and Kieran Powell were left to rue missing centuries on a shirtfront at the Wankhede.

Marlon Samuels partook in the run-fest after tea, to make it only the fifth time in Test history that each of the top six made half-centuries. Varun Aaron, the debutant fast bowler who was ordinary for much of the innings, showed plenty of tenacity to bowl a quick spell even as West Indies' total swelled past 500, earning three wickets to spark a late collapse.

The tone for the day was set by Bravo, who caressed the first two deliveries of the morning between the bowler, Aaron, and mid-off for four. West Indies plundered 111 runs before lunch, after which India went completely on the defensive, spreading the field, and giving the part-timers, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, extended spells. The strategy reduced the boundaries but there was no flagging of the run-rate, as an untroubled West Indies marched towards 500.

Like on Tuesday, there was little to encourage India's fast bowlers. Bravo showed how easy the track was to bat on as he pulled an Aaron bouncer wide of mid-on for four. His partner Edwards continued to showcase his driving skills, and a muscular style that favours the on-side. Edwards was more tentative than Bravo and he eventually fell short of a third Test century when he nicked a short-of-length ball to the keeper, giving Ishant Sharma reward for a long, tight spell.

That brought in Powell, who started shakily - getting knocked on the back of his helmet by Ishant off the first delivery he faced. That didn't faze the 21-year-old Powell, though, and he showed off his footwork against spin, dishing out a boundary an over. Powell initially dominated his partnership with the well-set Bravo, making his intentions clear early on by charging and lofting offspinner R Ashwin over his head, a stroke he repeated several times against the spinners.

Bravo was briefly starved of the strike when Powell got going, but he didn't lose his rhythm. He continued to favour the off side, using the graceful back-foot punch between cover and point heavily. His century came up with a slice past cover for four a few overs before lunch. There was no Lara-like leap in the air to celebrate the milestone this time, just a kiss of the bat and wave of the cap.

There were a couple of close calls for the West Indies batsmen after lunch: two overs in, Powell was nearly run out by MS Dhoni, and in the next over Bravo nicked a delivery between the keeper and leg slip. That raised India's hopes, but the breakthrough remained elusive. One of the few times the paltry crowd found its voice again was when their favourite, Tendulkar, was brought on to bowl.

With minimal risk, Powell and Bravo collected the singles, hardly hassled by the spinners, who sent down an astonishing 22 overs in the hour after lunch. A maiden century for Powell seemed inevitable, but he was caught behind for 81 off a quicker delivery from Pragyan Ojha, ending a partnership of 160.

Dhoni brought on the fast bowlers to attack the new batsman, Samuels, but though there were a couple of outside edges, Ishant slanted the ball too often into the pads to gift easy runs. Bravo was unflustered as ever, continuing past 150 to have a maiden double-century in his sights. He didn't get there, though, as his innings ended on 166, giving Dhoni a catch while chasing a slightly wide delivery after tea.

That strike sparked a rare period of Indian dominance, with five wickets going down for 48 runs. Aaron and R Ashwin did the damage for India in that spell, during which Samuels unleashed some eye-catching drives to reach his half-century. An awaited declaration didn't come on the day, and neither could India bowl out West Indies, which meant Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir didn't have to bat after spending almost two entire days in the field.