ST JOHN'S (Antigua), June 6: Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have given West Indies a chance to save the first Test against India on the final day. Their unbeaten fourth wicket stand had so far realized 86 priceless runs at tea. Gayle was undefeted 59 while Chanderpaul was three short of half century.
Earlier paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth claimed two wickets in eight balls to leave West Indies on 72 for three at lunch on the fifth day of the first Test on Tuesday.
Openers Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga put on 67 in 26 overs before the mini-collapse which included captain Brian Lara's wicket for nought. The home side, chasing 392, now have to survive a minimum of 65.3 overs for a draw.
India made the breakthrough after captain Rahul Dravid turned to the spin of Anil Kumble. Ganga was unable to keep the ball down after stretching forward and Yuvraj Singh took a brilliant one-handed catch at short-leg.
New-ball bowler Sreesanth was brought back for a second spell shortly before lunch and he struck with his second delivery. Ramnaresh Sarwan sliced an attacking drive to Kumble in the gully to be caught for one.
That brought Lara to the crease for his final Test innings at the ground where he posted world record scores of 375 and 400 not out against England in 1994 and 2004.
A new stadium to replace the Antigua Recreation Ground is being built for the 2007 World Cup.Lara lasted for just seven balls, Sreesanth trapping him leg-before as he wandered across his stumps and was beaten by a delivery that straightened back into the front pad.
Umpire Asad Rauf took a long time to give the West Indies captain out and the dismissal took the teams to lunch.
Ganga stroked five fours in his 36 while Gayle has hit three fours and one six in 28 not out off 94 balls.
On Monday opener Wasim Jaffer scored a maiden double century to lead India's onslaught on the West Indian bowling on the fourth day.
Jaffer's 212 was the centrepiece of India's second innings of 521 for six declared.
Jaffer, playing in his 11th Test, faced 399 balls and hit 24 fours and a six in his career-best performance. His previous highest score was the 100 against England in Nagpur in March.
Jaffer and captain Rahul Dravid resumed for India on 215 for two and took the score to 350 in stand of 203 before Dravid tried to sweep and top-edged a catch to Ian Bradshaw.
His 62 came in 177 balls and included just two fours.
Jaffer went to his double century off the next ball, which he played to mid-wicket for a single, but the marathon innings ended nine balls before tea when Bradshaw bowled him.
Yuvraj Singh scored 39 before he drove a delivery from part-time off-spinner Chris Gayle uppishly into the covers and was spectacularly caught by a diving Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Mahendra Dhoni threatened to upstage Jaffer's diligence and application with a spectacular 69 off 51 balls that included four fours and six sixes.
The innings ended in confusion when Dhoni launched a ball from Dave Mohammed towards the mid-wicket boundary where Ganga claimed the catch.
Play was held up for several minutes while the umpires tried to determine whether Ganga had stepped on the boundary in completing the catch.
Dravid declared the innings closed before a decision had been made, but Dhoni accepted Ganga's word and was eventually given out.
That ended a sixth-wicket stand of 102 in which Mohammad Kaif, who finished with 46 not out, scored just 15.
The long-suffering Mohammed finished with three for 162 from 29.5 overs.
Scoreboard
India 1st innings 241 (D. Bravo 4-40)
West Indies 1st innings 371 (C. Gayle 72, D. Bravo 68, R Sarwan 58)
India 2nd innings 521 for 6 decl (W. Jaffer 212, M. Dhoni 69, R. Dravid 62)
West Indies 2nd innings (Target: 392 runs)
C. Gayle not out 59
D. Ganga c Y. Singh b Kumble 36
R. Sarwan c Kumble b Sreesanth 1
B. Lara lbw b Sreesanth 0
S. Chanderpaul not out 47
Extras (b-1 lb-6 nb-8) 15
Total (for 3 wickets, 57 overs) 158
Fall of wkts: 1-67 2-68 3-72
To bat: D. Bravo, D. Ramdin, D. Mohammed, I. Bradshaw, F. Edwards, C. Collymore
Bowling
M. Patel 12 - 2 - 25 - 0 (nb-2), S. Sreesanth 15 - 8 - 42 - 2, A. Kumble 18 - 5 - 46 - 1 (nb-1), V. Singh 9 - 3 - 32 - 0 (nb-5), V. Sehwag 3 - 2 - 6 - 0