Windies fall for 204

ROSEAU, Dominica, (CMC):

Illness to Ravi Rampaul almost undermined West Indies, but typically rainy weather was again kind to them, and offered a temporary reprieve in the third and final Test against India yesterday.

Rampaul fell ill, was vomiting, and had to be taken to hospital for medical treatment, reducing the West Indies' bowling stocks, after they were dismissed for 204 in their first innings at the regularly scheduled tea time on the second day.

This meant that West Indies captain Darren Sammy had to share the new ball with Fidel Edwards, but the seasonal weather gave the hosts and Rampaul a few more hours to recover, as India reached eight without loss from just four overs, when rain and bad light forced an early close.

Batting meltdown

Only 80.3 overs out of a possible 180 have been delivered over the first two days of the Test being staged in the Dominica capital for the first time.

Earlier, Carlton Baugh Jr hit the top score of 60, and Darren Bravo made 50, but failed to stop West Indies from another terminal batting meltdown, engineered by Ishant Sharma.

Baugh and Bravo added 59 for the sixth wicket either side of lunch, but Sharma captured five wickets for 77 runs from 21.3 overs to take his tally in the three-match series to 21 wickets.

No other West Indies batsman seriously distinguished himself, and Sharma got support in the demolition job from Praveen Kumar with two for 22 from 16 overs, and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who took two for 26 from 15 overs, becoming the 11th bowler to take 400 Test wickets.

SCOREBOARD

West Indies 1st Innings

(overnight 75 for three)

D.M. Bravo c wk Dhoni b Sharma 50S. Chanderpaul c wk Dhoni b Patel 23M. Samuels b Kumar 9+C. Baugh b Harbhajan Singh 60D. Sammy c Mukund b Singh 20F. Edwards b Sharma 3R. Rampaul not out 0D. Bishoo b Sharma 0Extras (b8, lb10) 18Total (all out, 76.3 overs) 204

Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Powell), 2-24 (Barath), 3-35 (K. Edwards), 4-84 (Chanderpaul), 5-99 (Samuels), 6-158 (Bravo), 7-199 (Sammy), 8-200 (+Baugh), 9-204 (F. Edwards)

Bowling: Kumar 16-7-22-2; Sharma 21.3-4-77-5; Patel 20-7-48-1; Harbhajan Singh 15-7-26-2; Raina 4-1-13-0

India 1st Innings

A. Mukund not out 6M. Vijay not out 1Extras (lb1) 1

Total (without loss, 4 overs) 8

Bowling: Edwards 2-1-2-0;Sammy 2-0-5-0

Position: India trail by 196 runs with all first innings wickets standing

Umpires: Asad Rauf, R. Kettleborough