LEFT: India's captain Rahul Dravid (right) and West Indies skipper Brian Lara shake hands after India won the fourth and final one-day international. India won the series 3-1. RIGHT: Indian players (left to right) Mahendra Dhoni, Irfan Pathan and Robin Uthappa ride on a bike after winning the series against the West Indies in Vadodara yesterday. - Reuters photos

VADODARA, India (CMC):

THE LITTLE Master, Sachin Tendulkar, stroked his 41st one-day international (ODI) hundred and helped steer India to a massive 160-run victory over West Indies in the last game of the four-match pre-Cricket World Cup (CWC) series yesterday.

Sent to bat, the Indians piled up 341 for three off 50 overs and West Indies never threatened the target, crashing to 181 all out off 41.4 overs in reply at the IPCL Sports Complex Ground.

The emphatic triumph, a huge boost in their build-up for CWC 2007 in the Caribbean in March and April, gave India the series 3-1.

Predictably, Tendulkar was named Man of the Match, and he also collected the Man of the Series prize after leading his team's batting average at 63.6.

Gayle fails again

Set a daunting 342 to win, West Indies slipped to 32 for two and never mounted a series challenge throughout their innings. Top opener Chris Gayle, who had scored a total of 57 runs in his three previous innings, missed out again and went cheaply. He was bowled by pacer Ajit Akarkar for six with just 10 runs on the board in the third over.

It became 32 for two when Shivnarine Chanderpaul (14) lofted the last ball off the eighth over - by left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan - to Harbhajan Singh at the square leg boundary.

Devon Smith departed for a 31-ball 24 to a spectacular catch by Yuvraj Singh.

The Grenadian left-hander lashed the ball firmly going for the mid-wicket boundary but Singh threw himself to his left at short mid-wicket and superbly clutched a sharp chance at 65 for three in the 15th over. Four balls later, disaster for the Caribbean side when ace batsman Brian Lara was run-out for three.

Marlon Samuels drove at pacer Irfan Pathan, who failed to snare a return catch but the ball ricocheted on to the stumps at the non-striker's end where the 37-year-old Lara - in what should be his last innings in India - was caught backing up too far and failed to get his bat down in time.

Lendl Simmons (four) was run out at 83 for five when substitute Suresh Raina struck with a direct hit.

Samuels played well and reached his 12th ODI 50 with a single off Anil Kumble in the 29th over, but departed in the legspinner's next over when he hit high and straight, but was caught on the boundary by Pathan for 55.

Samuels stroked seven fours and a six while facing 63 balls in a 65-run stand for the sixth wicket with Ramdin, who resisted for 40 off 52 balls with five boundaries.Ramdin departed at 153 for seven in the 32nd over when he swept Harbhajan straight to Kumble on the mid-wicket boundary.

Missed sweep shot

Next over, Dwayne Smith missed a sweep shot off Kumble and was dislodged leg before wicket without scoring.

Agarkar then removed rookie Rayad Emrit (13), and Yuvraj Singh had Darren Powell (one) caught by Raina, to complete the rout, leaving Ian Bradshaw not out on 14.

Kumble led India's bowling with two for 27 off seven overs, backed by Agarkar, with two for 40 off eight overs.

Earlier, India, who entered the game holding an unbeatable 2-1 lead in the series, got polished half centuries from Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni finished on 40 not out to support Tendulkar's fine effort.

Classy innings

Tendulkar brought up his hundred off the final ball of the innings, turning a full-pitched delivery from Ian Bradshaw to mid-wicket for a single.

He spanked 10 fours and one six in a classy 76-ball innings, while Dravid (78) and Ganguly (68) also scored briskly and helped set a solid foundation for the home side.

Former captain Ganguly hit eight fours and a six in his innings and current skipper Dravid hit seven boundaries.

Dravid added 118 for the third wicket with Tendulkar, who holds the world record for most ODI centuries. Dhoni smashed his unbeaten 40 off just 20 balls with one four and three sixes in a striking unfinished 75-run stand - off just 39 balls - with Tendulkar that allowed India to score 107 runs off the last 10 overs.

SCOREBOARD

India innings

R. Uthappa c Gayle b Powell