Jason Holder led by example with a first One-Day International (ODI) five-wicket haul on Sunday to keep the series alive as West Indies beat India by 11 runs despite half-centuries from the in-form Ajinkya Rahane and MS Dhoni in Antigua.
The Windies looked set to go 3-0 down with one match to play when they posted just 189 for nine at Sir the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Umesh Yadav (3-36) and Hardik Pandya (3-40) doing much of the damage.
Rahane top-scored with 60, having made 62, 103 and 72 in the previous three matches, and Dhoni made a patient 54 but the tourists slumped from 101 for three to 178 all out to fall to defeat.
Captain Holder was the Windies’ hero, taking ODI-best figures of five for 27 – including the scalp of opposite number Virat Kohli and two wickets in the last over – to reduce India’s lead to 2-1 with a final game to come at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on Thursday.
Runs were hard to come by for the Windies openers after Holder won the toss and Pandya ended an opening stand of 57 in the 18th over when Kyle Hope (35) holed out, then Kuldeep Yadav (2-31) got rid of Evin Lewis (35) after he had struck a couple of sixes in a 60-ball knock.
Kuldeep cleaned up Roston Chase and West Indies had lost five wickets for just 41 runs in 10 overs to be reduced to 162 for seven when a backpedalling Ravindra Jadeja caught Jason Mohammed (20) off the bowling of Pandya.
There was no late flurry as the India bowlers continued to put the squeeze on, but the tourists were in some trouble on 47-3 in the 13th over of their reply with Shikhar Dhawan (5), Kohli (3) and Dinesh Karthik (2) back in the pavilion.
Rahane had a slice of luck with 23 runs to his name when Mohammed put down a straightforward chance at square leg and brought up another fifty off 72 balls, but was on his way after failing with a review when he was given caught behind off Devendra Bishoo.
Dhoni looked set to play the role of finisher yet again, but the wheels came off in the India innings and the former skipper was caught in the deep to become Kesrick Williams’ first ODI victim off the last ball of the penultimate over.
India had lost their last five wickets for only 19 runs in the space of 28 balls by the time Holder had Mohammed Shami (1) caught by Chase with two deliveries remaining to seal what looked an unlikely win.
