West Indies edge home in thriller

West Indies kept the ODI series with India alive thanks to an exciting 16-run win at Ahmedabad.

India seemed down and out at 105-6, in pursuit of 261 for victory, only for Rohit Sharma to rally his team with 95.

The right-hander appeared certain to reach three figures - and see his team to victory - until West Indies captain Darren Sammy produced an inspirational piece of fielding.

Sharma hit the ball to mid-on and set off for a quick single, only to be well short of his crease when the fielder circled on the ball and hit the stumps directly.

Sammy's effort atoned in part for dropping Sharma on 33 when another wicket at that point would have settled the game much earlier.

In a repeat of the previous ODI, West Indies were indebted to a late flurry to ensure they had a substantial total to defend.

Andre Russell and Darren Sammy put on an unbeaten 79 for the sixth-wicket from the last 34 balls of the innings, including 43 from the last two overs.

Abhimanyu Mithun's bowling figures were ruined when he conceded 23 runs in the penultimate over with Sammy hammering two fours and two sixes. Umesh Yadav then saw his own analysis dented when Russell struck two fours and a six in the final over.

West Indies' top order batsmen had earlier struggled on a slow wicket with R. Vinay Kumar dismissing opener Lendl Simmons for one in a painfully slow opening passage.

Slow bowlers Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja kept the block on in the middle overs when they both conceded under four-runs-per-over from their full allocations.

The tourists were dealt a blow when Darren Bravo was forced to retire hurt on 26 after picking up a leg injury - a recent change in the ICC regulations decreeing he could not call for a runner.

Marlon Samuels played a good anchor role but, just as he was starting to break from his shackles, he was bowled by Ashwin for 58.

Dinesh Ramdin (38) and Kieron Pollard (29) were two more batsmen who made a start but were then out just as they were getting into their stride.

That left Russell and Sammy with much to do in the closing six overs. What they produced meant the second innings did not become a procession for India.

Parthiv Patel got India's reply off to a flying start with two boundaries in Kemar Roach's first over. Ravi Rampaul then turned the match on its head when he dismissed Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir for first ball ducks with his first two deliveries. Sehwag chased a wide delivery and was caught behind before Gambhir left a delivery that swung back into him and was trapped leg before.

Patel then showed what good touch he was in with fours off the first two balls of Roach's second over.

Sunil Narine enjoyed an early success on his ODI debut when the slow bowler spun a delivery back into the pads of Virat Kohli and the right-hander was adjudged lbw.

Fellow off-spinner Samuels then produced a fine delivery to clip the off-bail of left-hander Patel (39).

Rampaul returned to have Suresh Raina adjudged caught down the leg-side before he almost claimed the wicket of Jadeja two overs later.

Jadeja was given out lbw but an umpire referral found the bowler to have delivered a no ball.

The left-hander's reprieve was short-lived as he was run out in the next over after being called through for a single and was left short of his crease when wicketkeeper Ramdin took the bails off following Russell's smart throw.

India's seventh-wicket pairing then added 91 but both should have fallen in quick succession early on in their stand.

Sammy put down Ashwin at first slip off Narine when on two and then dropped an even simpler chance in the gully offered by Sharma off the bowling of Roach.

Sharma made the most of his reprieve to reach his fourth consecutive half-century against this opposition.

Narine (2-34) returned to the attack and claimed the long overdue breakthrough when Ashwin played round a straight ball and was leg before for 31.

Roach then produced a fine yorker to bowl Vinay Kumar for three and the game seemed up when Sharma was run out.

There was still time for a sting in the tail as runs flowed from the bat of last pair Mithun and Yadav who put on 28 to reduce the asking rate to below a run-a-ball.

Man-of-the-Match Rampaul then produced a slower ball under pressure to trap Mithun for a 16-ball 23 and end a thrilling contest.

West Indies reduce the deficit in the series to 2-1 and now go to Indore on Thursday for the penultimate match in high spirits.