Close India 358 and 471 for 8 (Tendulkar 176, Laxman 154*) drew with West Indies 497
Scorecard

It was a morning that promised a thriller to finish the series, as Sachin Tendulkar's blazing strokeplay gave India the chance of an exciting win. But in the post-lunch session, soon after Tendulkar got out for 176, the match turned into a farce and the dance of the clowns began.

Harbhajan Singh blasted 26 – 21 of them off one Ramnaresh Sarwan over – Shivnarine Chanderpaul bagged a wicket, Javagal Srinath reached 1000 Test runs and poor Wavell Hinds was hit on the shoulder after being posted at forward short leg for VVS Laxman - when the lead was over 270 and the match dead. Carl Hooper's mind worked in mysterious ways.

Long before the floodlights came on in the final session, the lights went out on the match. At 301 for 5 in the second over after lunch, Tendulkar was spectacularly caught by Chris Gayle at backward point off Cameron Cuffy. Gayle had dropped Tendulkar in the same position just before lunch. Only 69 runs were added in a dreadful afternoon session in which neither captain took the initiative to go for a win.

Tendulkar's 176, one of the finest of his 31 Test hundreds, was the fifth time he perished in his personal jinx of the 170s. Unfortunately though, he strained a hamstring during the innings, worsening a niggle he had carried into the day's play. He was ruled out of the entire one-day series.

The festive crowd suffered after Tendulkar's exit, rumbling with discontent like excited kids promised fireworks and given damp squibs instead. They watched the next 12 overs produce 14 runs, as Hooper did not employ an attacking field or goad his bowlers to be aggressive - and Sourav Ganguly relaxed in the dressing room with feet up, chewing gum.

Laxman took his time and 285 balls to reach his well-deserved fourth Test hundred – the bored crowd even booed him when he was on 89. He pulled Hooper to midwicket to tick off the last remaining point of interest in the day. After tea, the part-timers were on duty with the ball, and Laxman's career aggregate and average steadily rose.

In the morning, Tendulkar and Laxman demolished any hopes Hooper had of a win to salvage a disastrous Test series. Their fifth-wicket stand of 212, an Indian record against West Indies, turned the hunter into the hunted and wiped out any taste of West Indian dominance from the fourth day.

India were also helped by Hooper not letting his younger, faster bowlers rip before the batsmen had settled down. He reposed unwarranted faith in Merv Dillon and Cuffy instead.

Hooper made another tactical blunder when he was bowling, after Tendulkar smote him for successive fours in one over. Hooper had earned respect and had crowded Tendulkar with three men around the bat. But, after conceding the two boundaries, he hastily removed himself from the attack. The sluice gates opened, with Tendulkar mixing caution and aggression with creative strokes only genius can paint with the bat – like an intended paddle sweep off Gayle converted at the last moment into a square-cut.

Laxman, at the other end, played a supporting role with a patience that did not die after the Test did. He was the anchor without whom the match-turning partnership would not have flourished. The memorable rescue mission that he and Tendulkar accomplished deserved a better ending than the pointless ritual after lunch.

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