India defeated the West Indies by 63 runs to win the first Test here at Sabina Park ion Thursday. Suresh Raina took the last West Indian wicket when he dismissed Bishoo for 26.
Needing a further 195 runs to win with seven wickets in hand on, the West Indies lost six wickets for an addition of 95 runs in the morning session.
Earlier, swing bowler Praveen Kumar claimed the key West Indies wickets of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo to bring India closer to victory.
The hosts, overnight 131-3, went to lunch on 226-9 in pursuit of a victory target of 326, still 100 runs away. Kumar, on his debut, claimed 3-42 while his new ball partner Ishant Sharma took 3-77. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra grabbed 2-39 while off-spinner Harbhajan Singh took the other wicket to fall.
Bravo top-scored with 41 while left-hander Ravi Rampaul provided some resistance in the lower order with a run-a-ball 34.
Bravo and Chanderpaul stretched their overnight partnership to 68 before Kumar struck in successive overs to undermine the chase.
Bravo, after hitting seven fours off 89 balls, came too far across his stumps and had his leg stump hit by Kumar from around the wicket.
One run later, Chanderpaul drove straight to extra cover where Suresh Raina hauled in an easy catch. The veteran left-hander hit four fours in 30 off 73 balls.
The West Indies slipped to 150-6 when Carlton Baugh fell for a duck as India claimed its third wicket in the space of two runs. Baugh, on his 29th birthday, turned a catch to leg slip off Harbhajan.
Captain Darren Sammy countered the crisis with an aggressive approach, launching Harbhajan for three consecutive sixes into the North Stand on the leg side. He compiled 25 off 11 balls before he stroked the first delivery from Mishra straight to V.V.S. Laxman at extra cover.
Brendan Nash continued his struggles in 2011 when Mishra claimed him lbw soon afterwards at 188-8 with one that crept low. Rampaul and Fidel Edwards showed some fight in a ninth-wicket stand of 35 in a half hour.
Edwards (5 not out) and Devendra Bishoo (2 not out) stretched the match until the interval.
On Wednesday, Rahul Dravid batted for almost six and a half hours to compile 112 in a low-scoring match where both teams struggled to score freely. His performance enabled the tourists to post a second-innings total of 252.—Agencies
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