India settled for a draw in the third and final Test against the West Indies after rock-solid century-maker Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the home bowlers gave them a fight on Sunday.
Chasing 180 for victory, India finished on 94 for three, deciding to bring the match to a close with the statutory final 15 overs remaining on the last day of the inaugural Test at Windsor Park.
The result meant that the visitors won the three-Test series 1-0, following a 63-run victory inside four days in Jamaica and a draw in the second Test at Barbados.
The visitors also wrapped up their second straight Test series victory over West Indies in the Caribbean and they also became the first Indian side to win a Test and one-day series here.
“I am not too disappointed about the final result,” said India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
“Our team did really well throughout the series, particularly in this game.
“We decided to call it off because the gamble was quite high for us, we were risking a series win. I think we did our best, and had a go, but we then realised it was not worth it, and called it day.”
The decision to abort the run chase ended a frustrating day for India which started with the promise of a second victory in the series, but was blighted by Chanderpaul’s undefeated 116, his 23rd Test hundred. That earned him the man-of-the-match award after he also stood firm in a valuable ninth-wicket stand of 65 with Fidel Edwards.
India were kept in the field far longer than they expected, with Chanderpaul farming the bowling, and Edwards prepared to mix sound defence with tail-ender’s bravado, as West Indies were dismissed for 322 in their second innings about 45 minutes before tea.
“We are very pleased with this result, and the way the crowd responded to us made it feel like a Twenty20 game and that we had won,” said West Indies captain Darren Sammy to tumultuous roars from a crowd estimated at close to 9,000.
“It shows that when we, as a team, go out there and fight, the Caribbean people, our fans, still love us, and it was pleasing to see them turn out in their numbers over the last few days and support us.”
