DellmarGayle in action yesterday.
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP):
LEFT-HANDED OPENERS Chris Gayle, with 84 off 67 balls, and Wavell Hinds led the West Indies to a crushing victory by seven wickets over India with a volley of boundaries in the rain-shortened fourth one-day international here yesterday.
The victory levelled the series 1-1, setting up the series decider for today's final match at the same Queen's Park Oval.
The first two matches at Sabina Park in Kingston were abandoned because of rain last weekend and India won the third at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown last Wednesday by seven wickets.
After the West Indies bowlers pinned India down to an all-out total of 123 off their allocated 25 overs in a match reduced by half because of rain, Man of the Match Jamaican Gayle and his compatriot Hinds delighted a noisy, sell-out crowd of 25,000 with 117 off 18 overs.
The West Indies were only seven away from their target of 124 when the pair were out off successive balls and Ramnaresh Sarwan followed six balls later.
But they were consolation wickets and local favourite Brian Lara and captain Carl Hooper formalised the result with 2.5 overs remaining.
Hinds was bowled for 30, swinging wildly at fast bowler Tinu Youhannan who claimed his second wicket by getting Sarwan to play on for one.
Gayle fell for 84 to a top-edged hook off left-arm fast bowler Zaheer Khan.
Hinds' innings, off 45 balls, included the biggest of the day's five sixes, into the third deck of the stand at long-on from off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
But he was overshadowed by the powerful Gayle who counted three sixes and nine fours in his punishing performance. He clouted a six and four fours in one over from Youhannan that cost the bowler 25 runs.
Play was delayed for four hours by intermittent heavy showers but the crowd, including hundreds of Indian supporters - many of whom flew in from the nited States and England for the weekend double-header - were eventually rewarded for their patience with all-action cricket in bright sunshine.
Handicapped by the absence of star batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, with a sore shoulder, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly chose to bat on winning the toss before the rain holdup.
India lost opener Virender Sewag to his first ball to a catch at mid-on off Merv Dillon. But Ganguly and fellow left-hander Dinesh Mongia put on 44 for the second wicket from 5.3 overs before the West Indies took charge.
