KINGSTON, July 3: Anil Kumble bowled India to their first series win in the Caribbean for 35 years on Sunday — and their first outside the sub-continent for 20 years. The leg-spinner's performance lifted his side to a 49-run victory over West Indies and a 1-0 series win in the fourth and final Test in Kingston.
West Indies, set 269 to win, had staggered to 144 for seven before wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin's unbeaten half-century lifted them to 219 all out.
Kumble finished with six for 78, claiming the last five wickets after tea on the third day as he bamboozled the lower-order batsmen with cunning, varied bowling.
West Indies had resumed after tea on 85 for four and Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo calmly set about the Indian bowling and looked untroubled in a 70-run partnership.
Sarwan reached his 26th Test half-century with his seventh boundary, but failed to add another run as Shanthakumaran Sreesanth had him caught at first slip by Rahul Dravid.
Kumble then took care of the rest of the West Indian batting line-up.
Bravo had struck three successive boundaries in the spinner's previous over but six balls after Sarwan's dismissal he played a loose slog-sweep and was bowled for 33.
Marlon Samuels (5) was then trapped on the back foot by a Kumble delivery that went straight on, exposing the West Indies tail with 125 runs still needed.
But Taylor, who had scored 20, was then beaten by a quicker ball from Kumble and trapped in front of his stumps.
Although Ramdin was to have some solid support from Pedro Collins in adding a further 39 runs, Kumble wrapped up the innings with two wickets in three balls.
India had taken three wickets after lunch as the advantage swung their way, Sreesanth picking up two wickets and Munaf Patel and Anil Kumble one each.
Scoreboard
INDIA (1st Innings) 200 (R. Dravid 81; J.E. Taylor 5-50).
WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 103 (Harbhajan Singh 5-13).
INDIA (2nd Innings) 171 (R. Dravid 68; C.D. Collymore 5-48, J.E. Taylor 4-45).
WEST INDIES (2nd Innings):
C.H. Gayle c Laxman b Sreesanth 0
D. Ganga b Sreesanth 16
B.C. Lara lbw b Patel 11
R.R. Sarwan c Dravid b Sreesanth 51
S. Chanderpaul lbw b Kumble 13
D.J.J. Bravo b Kumble 33
M.N. Samuels lbw b Kumble 5
D. Ramdin not out 62
J.E. Taylor lbw b Kumble 20
P.T. Collins lbw b Kumble 3
C.D. Collymore c Dhoni b Kumble 0
EXTRAS (LB-2, NB-3) 5
TOTAL (all out, 69.4 overs) 219
FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-27, 3-29, 4-56, 5-125, 6-128, 7-144, 8-180, 9-219.
BOWLING: Sreesanth 15-2-38-3; Munaf Patel 12-2-26-1; Harbhajan Singh 16-3-65-0; Kumble 22.4-3-78-6 (3nb); Sehwag 4-0-10-0.—Agencies