Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer 
West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo (right) celebrates claiming the wicket of India's Yuvraj Singh to win the second Digicel one-day international match by one run at Sabina Park yesterday. Joining in the celebration is pace bowler Jerome Taylor.- JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
THE WEST Indies pulled a tense one-run victory over India at Sabina Park yesterday to level the best of five Digicel one-day international series 1-1.
Following their penultimate ball loss to the tourists in the series opener on Thursday at the same venue, it was sweet revenge for skipper Brian Lara's side in a series that is severely testing the nerves of players and the hearts of fans.
Paced by a fine 98 not out by Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies set India 199 to win. Three wickets apiece from Ian Bradshaw and Marlon Samuels kept the sub-continental side's run chase in check and set up a nerve-wracking final over from Dwayne Bravo in which they started with a target of12 runs and only a wicket in hand.
WEST INDIES STRUGGLED
Sent to bat, the West Indies struggled from early against the tight pace bowling of Ajit Agarkar and Irfan Pathan.
Local hero Chris Gayle (zero), who punished the Indian bowling in the first match on Thursday with a knock of 123, was the first to go, caught behind off Agarkar and in the very next over, Runako Morton (one), who never looked comfortable with the swinging ball, got one that cut back from Pathan, which trapped him leg before.
Sarwan and Lara tried to revive the innings, but with just 24 runs on the board, the latter fell to an easy slips catch off Pathan.
Former captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul joined Sarwan and the two looked as if they were ready for business, but when Chanderpaul holed out to Kaif at point off Harbhajan Singh the writing was on the wall for a small total.
If there was a innings for Marlon Samuels redeem himself, especially after scoring only 15 runs in three innings against Zimbabwe, it was this one coming in to bat after just 19 overs.
However, despite spending 15 overs at the crease and working the ball around for a few singles and hitting one four off 53 deliveries, he never delivered the innings required for the West Indies.
SARWAN PLUGGED AWAY
Though Samuels and Sarwan posted 60 for the fifth wicket, the biggest of West Indies' innings, the dismissal of the former, who got ahead of himself and jumped down the wicket to attack Yuvraj Singh and only managed an edge to Mahendra Dhoni at 103-5 in the 35th over, and Dwayne Bravo, who faced three deliveries without troubling the score, placed the West Indies further in trouble, but luckily for them, Sarwan kept plugging away at the other end.
Carlton Baugh joined Sarwan and the two added 38 for the seventh wicket, but after hitting cleanly for four boundaries in a 17-ball knock of 21, Baugh holed out to mid-wicket at 143-7 in the 42nd over.
The tail of Ian Bradshaw (12), and Jerome Taylor (nine), who supported Sarwan very well, took the West Indies to a seemingly gettable total.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Man of the match Sarwan, whose innings was the backbone of West Indies' total, measured his play well and was unfortunate to miss out on a century.
In the end, the little Guyanese, in his 99th one-day international, hit seven fours and one six off 138 deliveries in his best innings at Sabina Park, surpassing the 72 he scored against South Africa in 2005.
At their turn at bat, Fidel Edwards and Ian Bradshaw had the Indians reeling at 51-3. Bradshaw was the first to strike, removing Virender Sehwag, brilliantly caught for 12 at point by substitute Dwayne Smith, on for Sarwan who suffered cramps, and then had skipper Rahul Dravid edging behind 12 runs later to leave India at 37-2.
Pathan and Yuvraj Singh had a brief stint at the crease in a 14-run stand, but three overs after Lara replaced Edwards with Jerome Taylor at the southern end, and Bradshaw with Edwards at the northern end, India slipped to 60-4.
India then lost momentum and wickets until Yuvraj and Ramesh Powar put together 43 for the eighth wicket, but when the latter provided Taylor with an easy catch at long-on and Gayle accepted a superb return catch from Harbhajan Singh in the 49th over, India needed 11 off the last over.
TWO RUNS AWAY
India plugged away and were down to 10 runs to get off five balls when Baugh failed to hold on to a catch provided by Yuvraj, which went for four. That was followed immediately by another four through extra-cover and the visitors were two runs away with three deliveries left.
However, Yuvraj on 93, trying to end the match in style, exposed his stumps and was bowled by Bravo.
While Yuvraj spent a few minutes with his face down on the pitch in shock, Bravo led his teammates on a chase towards the temporary stands at the western end of the ground.
Yuvraj struck eight fours and a six in his fine 93, which came off 121 balls.
Bradshaw ended with 3-33, Samuels 2-30, Taylor 2-49, Bravo 1-29, Gayle 1-33 and Edwards 1-19.
Lara credited the bowling performances of hometown boys Samuels and Gayle in the middle for the team's win.
"Marlon and Chris bowled really well and they did it for us," he said at the post-match ceremony.
"We will go back and see where we can improve for St. Kitts," he added after his team's 12th victory at the venue.
