India wrapped up a 2-0 series win over West Indies after the third Test finished in a thrilling draw in Mumbai.
The game was heading for a stalemate with West Indies resuming their second innings on 81-2, a lead of 189.
But spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (4-34) and Pragyan Ojha (6-47) skittled them for 134 to set a target of 243 to win.
Sachin Tendulkar was out for three before Virat Kohli’s 63 put India close to victory but they ended 242-9, Ashwin run out on the last ball of the match.
The game did not become the third ‘tied Test’ because India had one wicket remaining, although it is only the second time a Test has been drawn with the scores level – the previous was England v Zimbabwe in 1996.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said: “The final day was superb and we would have forgotten the first four days, which can be called boring to some extent.
“It’s a lesson it’s not yours until it’s in your kitty.”
It was a run chase that few in the sparse early morning crowd could have expected when Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo resumed their innings on the fifth morning at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
But Braithwaite added just one to his overnight 34 before he was caught at point by Tendulkar off Ojha.
The left-arm spinner then took a return catch to remove Bravo before having Marlon Samuels stumped to leave the tourists 112-5.
Ashwin chipped in by bowling Carlton Baugh, who went for an expansive drive against the spin, for one, before trapping left-hander Kieran Powell leg before wicket for 11.
Ravi Rampaul was caught on the square-leg boundary by Tendulkar off the bowling of Ojha before Ashwin cleared up the tail, Devendra Bishoo being adjudged leg before wicket for a first-ball duck.
India overcame the loss of opener Gautum Gambhir to reach 101-1, with Virender Sehwag reaching 60 but his departure sparked a mini collapse.
Tendulkar, who had been given an unexpected chance to record his 100th international century, fell cheaply and when Rahul Dravid (33) fell in similar fashion, caught at mid-wicket off Samuels, the home side were 113-4.
VVS Laxman steadied the innings with 31 off 53 balls before being caught by Adrian Barath off Rampaul and when Mahendra Singh Dhoni was out for 13, caught by Kirk Edwards off Rampaul, India were 189-6, 54 runs short of victory.
Kohli looked set to guide the home side to victory as he completed his second half century of the match but his cautious knock was ended when he sliced a wide Bishoo delivery to Sammy at slip to leave India needing 19 off 29 deliveries with three wickets in hand.
Ishant Sharma hit his first ball to the boundary to ease the nerves of the crowd that had been steadily growing all day, but he was bowled by Rampaul for 10 with India four short of victory and seven deliveries remaining.
New batsman Varun Aaron edged a single off the last ball to keep strike as the match went into the final over, bowled by Fidel Edwards.
However, the debutant failed to score off the first three deliveries before scampering a single to put Ashwin on strike.
Ashwin appeared to defend the fifth ball of the over, meaning two were needed off the final delivery and although he clubbed the ball to long on, he was run out by some distance as he somewhat leisurely attempted to complete the winning run.
“The last two balls I wanted to defend first and then go after the last ball,” Ashwin, who was named man-of-the-match and series, explained. “It didn’t work out unfortunately.”
Test match series: India v West Indies
Tuesday, 22 November 2011 at Mumbai, Day 5 of 5 India drew with West Indies West Indies won the toss and decided to bat
| West Indies 1st Innings 590 all out (184.1 overs) | West Indies 2nd Innings 134 all out (57.2 overs) |
| India 1st Innings 482 all out (135.4 overs) | India 2nd Innings 242 for 9 (64.0 overs) |
West Indies 1st Innings – All out
| Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | |||
| Barath | c Dhoni | b Ashwin | 62 | 148 | 8 | 0 |
| Brathwaite | c Kohli | b Ashwin | 68 | 184 | 8 | 0 |
| K Edwards | c Dhoni | b Ishant Sharma | 86 | 165 | 13 | 0 |
| DM Bravo | c Dhoni | b Aaron | 166 | 284 | 17 | 0 |
| K Powell | c Dhoni | b Ojha | 81 | 149 | 9 | 0 |
| Samuels | c Dravid | b Ashwin | 61 | 103 | 9 | 0 |
| Baugh | b Aaron | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
| Sammy | c Dhoni | b Aaron | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Rampaul | c Kohli | b Ashwin | 10 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| F Edwards | not out | 11 | 27 | 1 | 0 | |
| Bishoo | b Ashwin | 12 | 21 | 2 | 0 | |
| Extras | 2nb 8b 16lb | 26 | ||||
| Total | all out | 590 | (184.1 ovs) | |||
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India 1st Innings – All out
| Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | |||
| Gambhir | c Baugh | b Rampaul | 55 | 99 | 8 | 0 |
| Sehwag | b Sammy | 37 | 50 | 3 | 1 | |
| Dravid | b Samuels | 82 | 149 | 11 | 0 | |
| Tendulkar | c Sammy | b Rampaul | 94 | 153 | 8 | 2 |
| Laxman | c Samuels | b F Edwards | 32 | 54 | 3 | 0 |
| Kohli | c F Edwards | b Bishoo | 52 | 111 | 5 | 0 |
| Dhoni | b Sammy | 8 | 21 | 1 | 0 | |
| Ashwin | c Barath | b Rampaul | 103 | 118 | 15 | 2 |
| Ishant Sharma | c DM Bravo | b Samuels | 5 | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron | b Samuels | 4 | 14 | 1 | 0 | |
| Ojha | not out | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |
| Extras | 5nb 4w 1b | 10 | ||||
| Total | all out | 482 | (135.4 ovs) | |||
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West Indies 2nd Innings – All out
| Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | |||
| Barath | c Laxman | b Ojha | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Brathwaite | c Tendulkar | b Ojha | 35 | 115 | 2 | 0 |
| K Edwards | st Dhoni | b Ojha | 17 | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| DM Bravo | c and b | Ojha | 48 | 105 | 5 | 0 |
| K Powell | lbw | b Ashwin | 11 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| Samuels | st Dhoni | b Ojha | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Baugh | b Ashwin | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Sammy | c Dhoni | b Ashwin | 10 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Rampaul | c Tendulkar | b Ojha | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| F Edwards | not out | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bishoo | lbw | b Ashwin | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | 3b 4lb | 7 | ||||
| Total | all out | 134 | (57.2 ovs) | |||
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India 2nd Innings – Close
| Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | |||
| Gambhir | c Sammy | b F Edwards | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Sehwag | c Sammy | b Bishoo | 60 | 65 | 8 | 0 |
| Dravid | c Sub | b Samuels | 33 | 49 | 1 | 0 |
| Tendulkar | c K Edwards | b Samuels | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Laxman | c Barath | b Rampaul | 31 | 53 | 1 | 0 |
| Kohli | c Sammy | b Bishoo | 63 | 114 | 3 | 1 |
| Dhoni | c K Edwards | b Rampaul | 13 | 37 | 1 | 0 |
| Ashwin | run out (Sub) | 14 | 27 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ishant Sharma | b Rampaul | 10 | 17 | 1 | 0 | |
| Aaron | not out | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Extras | 1nb | 1 | ||||
| Total | for 9 | 242 | (64.0 ovs) | |||
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Umpires: A L Hill, BNJ Oxenford, D C Boon, S K Tarapore
India: Gambhir, Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Kohli, Dhoni (C/W), Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Ojha, Aaron
West Indies: Barath, Brathwaite, K Edwards, DM Bravo, K Powell, Samuels, Baugh (W), Sammy (C), F Edwards, Bishoo, Rampaul
