Scorecard | Prem Panicker on the 2nd ODI | Images
Dwayne Bravo bowled Yuvraj Singh with his third delivery of the final over to hand the West Indies a thrilling one-run victory over India in the second One-Day International at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, on Saturday.
With 11 runs required for victory in the last over, Yuvraj hit two consecutive fours to leave India just two runs to get off the last three deliveries. But Bravo's next delivery was a full toss that crashed onto the stumps, as Yuvraj, on 93, went for a big hit.
The defeat ended India's 17-match successful streak while chasing and allowed the West Indies level the series 1-1.
Ramnaresh Sarwan, who hit an unbeaten 98 earlier, was named man of the match.
Set a modest target after the home side was restricted to 198 for 9 in 50 overs after being inserted in, India messed up the chase with some shoddy batting and were eventually bowled out for 197 with two balls to spare.
The failure of the batsmen to apply themselves on a pitch that had slowed down in the last two days undid the good work done earlier in the field.
Ian Bradshaw, the best bowler on view on Thursday, proved India's nemesis again, claiming three wickets for 33 runs with his nagging length.
The left arm seamer did the early damage, scalping Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid in his new ball spell, before returning to remove Ajit Agarkar in the latter part of the innings.
Yuvraj waged a lone battle with a restrained innings that consumed 121 balls and included eight fours and a six.
Dismissed cheaply in the opener, he showed exemplary character in carrying the Indian innings on his shoulders in energy sapping conditions. He featured in two vital partnerships, adding 64 runs for the fifth wicket with Suresh Raina (27) in the middle overs to help the side recover from 60 for four, and another 47 runs for the eighth wicket with Ramesh Powar (12) that saw India recover from 134 for 7 to 22 runs short of victory off as many balls.
Part-time slow bowlers Marlon Samuels (2-30) and Chris Gayle (1-33) also frustrated the Indian batsmen with some tight bowling.
Earlier, India's bowlers produced a miserly performance. Put into bat for the second successive time, the hosts showed none of the belligerence of the opening match at the same venue while the Indians were more accurate with the ball and intensity on the field.
The West Indies innings revolved around Ramnaresh Sarwan's unbeaten 98 that lifted them first from 43-4 and then 105-6 to give the total a semblance of respectability.
India's new ball bowlers Irfan Pathan (3-45) and Ajit Agarkar (2-25) set the tone for the proceedings with tidy opening spells.
Sarwan, who faced 138 balls and hit seven fours and a six, shared a 60-run stand with Marlon Samuels (10) and later in the closing stages stitched a valuable 38-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Carlton Baugh (21).
The vice-captain, who survived more than one run-out chance, moved into his 90s in style, collecting two fours and a six off Pathan in the 49th over.
But he was stranded two short of a century as Jerome Taylor failed to rotate the strike.
Neither Chris Gayle (0), centurion from the previous game, nor captain Brian Lara (14) were of any use and but for the Sarwan-Samuels association, the innings could have been further in shambles.
Pathan set the trend with two successive maidens and the wicket of Runako Morton (1) with a delivery that kept low and found the batsman in front of stumps.
Agarkar, in between those two overs, had provided India with the first breakthrough by inducing Gayle to flirt with an away delivery and edge it to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for nought.
Lara flicked and square cut Pathan for two boundaries in successive overs but the latter had his revenge when he brought the left-hander forward and guided an easy catch to lone slip Rahul Dravid.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul clobbered Harbhajan Singh for two fours in the off-spinner's very first over but the latter got his even with a delivery that sat up for the batsman to cut it hard but straight to cover fielder Mohammad Kaif.
Like Harbhajan, Powar too started poorly, conceding eight runs in his first over, but then recovered to finish with 2 for 38 from his allotted 10 overs.
Harbhajan was similarly miserly and ended up with one for 32 from his 10 overs as batsmen couldn't come to grips with his variety and guile.
Pathan came back for his second spell to clean up Ian Bradshaw (12) and Agarkar too chipped in with one in his final to leave West Indies short of 200 runs.
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