Dambulla, July 31:

Skipper Rahul Dravid posted an unbeaten 52 on Sunday to steer India to a six-wicket victory against the West Indies in a limited-over tri-series. Chasing Windies’ score of 178 from 47.4 overs, India experimented with its top batting order and reached 180/4 in 36 overs with Dravid coasting to his 61st one-day half-century and the second in successive games. India’s victory was set by an accurate attack that bundled West Indies’ youthful batting lineup for a meager total despite losing the toss. Opener Virender Sehwag (2) was caught behind by Denesh Ramdin off Jermaine Lawson on the ninth delivery of the innings, but makeshift opener Mohammad Kaif contributed 24 and steadied the innings through a 65-run partnership with Suresh Raina, who made a 42-ball 35.

Kaif edged Tino Best to Sylvester Joseph in the slips and Raina, surviving two dropped catches on zero and 27, was snapped by Xavier Marshall at short covers off Dwayne Smith before Dravid shared a composed 61-run stand with Yuvraj Singh (28). Man of the match Dravid struck seven boundaries from 65 deliveries. Windies squandered the advantage of batting first after skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul won the toss when it lost three early wickets and managed to compile just 57 runs after 25 overs. Opener Marshall struck five boundaries off 48 deliveries to score 26 runs before edging spin bowler Harbhajan Singh to Dravid in the slips. Deonarine and Chanderpaul put on a 52-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but failed to accelerate the scoring.

Surviving a dropped catch on seven by Sehwag off Ashish Nehra, Chanderpaul went on to score 22 off 53 balls. Deonarine went on to top-score in his maiden one-dayer, compiling a 91-ball 41 including a six and two fours. Narsingh Deonarine was the seventh man out when Sehwag trapped him lbw. Sehwag also bowled Ricardo Powell (1) to finish with two for 39.

Smith smashed two sixes and a boundary to score 20 from just seven balls before edging Harbhajan Singh (2-24) to Mahendra Dhoni. Ramdin also produced a gritty performance to compile a 37-ball 24 before being losing his off-stump to Nehra, who then bowled Powell with the next ball. No 11 Lawson denied Nehra (2-23) the hat-trick, but Best (24) lofted Zaheer Khan straight to Raina at long-on in the next over.