Opening batsman Wasim Jaffer ran amok on loose West Indies bowling to hit his second Test hundred and help India claw their way back into the opening Test on Sunday at the Antigua Recreation Ground.
Jaffer was undefeated on a Test-best 113 to be the cornerstone on which India have built a second innings total of 215 for two to earn a lead of 85 when stumps were drawn on the third day.
Jaffer, whose batting on India's previous trip to the Caribbean helped to earn him a place on this tour, has struck one-dozen boundaries from 222 balls in close to three hours of batting.
He shared three successive half-century partnerships that has established a solid base for the Indian innings.
He and fellow opener Virender Sehwag shared 72 for the first wicket, he then added 75 for the second wicket with Venkatsai Laxman, and Indian captain Rahul Dravid joined him to navigate through two hours before the close in which they put on 68, unbroken, for the third wicket.
Sehwag, who scored 41, and Laxman, who made 31, were the only victims for India, after the visitors dismissed West Indies for 371 to concede a first innings deficit of 130.
Dravid, also known as "the Great Wall of India," batted with typical aplomb to be not out on 21 at the close.
Comfortable against pace and spin, and assertive with strokes either off the front or back foot, Jaffer formally put India in the black, when he cut left-arm chinaman bowler Dave Mohammed - in his sixth over - to short third man for a single.
He had reached 50, when he drove Dwayne Bravo through mid-off for his sixth boundary in the last half-hour before tea, and arrived at his milestone, when he drove Ian Bradshaw through backward point for his 11th boundary.
Along with the thrill of dismissing West Indies, India had enjoyed the sight of a couple enterprising strokes from Sehwag before lunch.
The shaven-skull Indian opener cut a short, wide ball from Fidel Edwards over backward point for six, disturbing a cluster of young children in the bottom deck of the Andy Roberts Stand, and whipped Corey Collymore through mid-wicket for another boundary in the brief period before the interval.
After lunch, there was an intriguing duel between batsman and bowler, and Sehwag was fortunate that close fielders on the leg-side twice failed to get their hands to the ball, when he fended short, rising deliveries from Edwards.
Edwards sought to exploit Sehwag's apparent weakness to the short ball into the rib cage, and on 15, the batsmen turned a rib-tickler over the head of forward short leg fielder Ramnaresh Sarwan, whose diving effort failed by inches.
SCOREBOARD
INDIA (1st Innings): 241
WEST INDIES (1st innings - overnight 318 for six):
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C. Gayle c Dravid b Kumble 72
D. Ganga lbw b Patel 9
R. Sarwan lbw b Kumble 58
B. Lara c Y. Singh b Patel 18
S. Chanderpaul c wkpr Dhoni b Sehwag 24
D. Bravo st Dhoni b Sehwag 68
D. Ramdin c wkpr Dhoni b Patel 26
I. Bradshaw c Y. Singh b V. Singh 33
D. Mohammed not out 19
F. Edwards c wkpr Dhoni b V. Singh 4
C. Collymore lbw b Kumble 0
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EXTRAS: (B-2, LB-14, W-2, NB-22) 40
TOTAL (all out) 371===============================================
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-18, 2-137, 3-159, 4-182, 5-255, 6-282, 7-331, 8-359, 9-370.
BOWLING: Sreesanth 16-1-96-0 (nb1, w2); Patel 28-7-80-3 (nb6); V. Singh 15-1-61-2 (nb8); Kumble 27.3-6-86-3 (nb5); Sehwag 12-2-32-2 (nb2).
Overs: 98.3.
INDIA (2nd innings):
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W. Jaffer not out 113
V. Sehwag c Gayle b Collymore 41
V. Laxman c Bradshaw b Mohammed 31
R. Dravid not out 21
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EXTRAS: (LB-2, W-2, NB-5) 9
TOTAL: (for 2 wkts) 215
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FALL OF WICKETS: 1-72, 2-147.
BOWLING: Edwards 5.4-2-16-0; Collymore 14-6-27-1 (nb2); Bradshaw 15-1-61-0 (nb2); Bravo 12.2-4-37-0 (w1); Mohammed 10-1-39-1; Gayle 7-2-18-0; Sarwan 4-0-15-0.
OVERS: 68.
POSITION: India lead West Indies by 85 runs with eight second innings wickets standing.
UMPIRES: S. Taufel, Asad Rauf.
TV REPLAYS: B. Doctrove.
RESERVE: C. Mack.
MATCH REFEREE: J. Crowe.
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