Jamaica, June 23: India won the first Test of the three-match series against West Indies trouncing the hosts by 63 runs at Sabina Park. This after West Indies lost their last seven wickets on Day 4 of the Test ironically for 131 runs having resumed batting at a score of 131 for three.

Requiring 195 runs to win with seven wickets still in hand at the start of the day’s proceedings, West Indies got off to a horrible start. Praveen Kumar bowled Darren Bravo (41) in just the sixth over of the day and followed that up with the wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul (30) off the fifth delivery off his very next over. Carlton Baugh (0) went next as he offered a straightforward catch to Virat Kohli at leg slip off Harbhajan Singh. From 131 for three, West Indies had gone to 150 for six in the space of 61 deliveries within the opening hour of day’s play.

On a track where the ball was skidding and keeping dangerously low with increasing frequency, there was little chance of the hosts chasing down the remaining 176 runs with four wickets in hand. Yet the West Indies’ tail wagged a lot longer than it was expected to do so.

Darren Sammy smashed 25 off the first 10 balls that he faced, including three consecutive sixes off Harabhajan, only to perish off the eleventh delivery with Amit Mishra successfully enticing him to hit one straight to VVS Laxman at extra cover. The very next over, Mishra had Brendan Nash (9) trapped lbw to leave the West Indies at 188 for eight.

Ravi Rampaul, like Sammy, threw the bat at pretty much everything that came his way. But having scored 34 off 31 deliveries, he was unable to negotiate a short delivery from Ishant Sharma and ended up offering a difficult, one-handed overhead catch to wicketkeeper MS Dhoni thirty minutes before lunch.

Fidel Edwards and Devendra Bishoo only delayed the inevitable, the pair frustrating the Indians with a 39-run partnership half an hour on either side of the lunch interval. With his regular bowling options unable to give him the breakthrough, Dhoni eventually threw the ball to Raina who promptly obliged by taking the wicket of Bishoo (26) off just his second delivery. With the hosts all out for 262, India recorded a 63-run victory, making it just their second win ever at Sabina Park.

The second Test of the series between the two sides begins on June 28 at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.

Brief scores: India 1st innings 246 all out in 61.2 overs (Suresh Raina 82, Fidel Edwards 4/56)and 2nd innings 252 all out in 94.5 overs(Rahul Dravid 112, Darren Sammy 4/52)beat West Indies 1st innings 173 all outin 67.5 overs(Adrian Barath 64, Praveen Kumar 3/38, Ishant Sharma 3/29) and 2nd innings 262 all out in 68.2 overs (Darren Bravo 41, Adrian Barath 38, Praveen Kumar 3/42, Ishant Sharma 3/81) by 63 runs.

Man-of-the-match: Rahul Dravid for his 162 runs in the Test, which included a knock of 112 in India’s second innings, that helped put the match beyond the reach of the West Indies.