India seal maiden one-day series triumph in the Carribean India won a rain-affected one-day series 2-1 with an effective performance in the final one-dayer at Trinidad. Leading from the front was Sachin Tendulkar. Playing with an aching shoulder, Tendulkar made 65 to shepherd the middle-order and take his team to a healthy total of 260. Skipper Sourav Ganguly chipped in with 56, while Virender Sehwag made a run-a-ball 32. The West Indies, docked one over for slow over-rate, found themselves chasing a stiffer revised target of 248 off 44 overs after a rain interruption. Their reply was soon in tatters at 88 for five, Tendulkar’s dismissal of Brian Lara for a not-so-convincing 36 effectively sealing the fate of the match. A late counter-attack from Shivnarine Chanderpaul (51 off 40 balls) and Ridley Jacobs (36 off 31) only succeeded in reducing the margin of defeat to 56 runs. Earlier the West Indies thrashed the Indians by seven wickets in the fourth one-dayer, reduced to a 25-over-a-side contest, to push the series to the decider. Opener Chris Gayle, who made 84 off 67 balls, was the Man of the Match in that contest.

Ganguly thrilled with one-day series win India finally had the pleasure of winning their maiden one-day series in the Caribbean. The 56-run win in the final one-dayer at Queen’s Park Oval saw India clinch the five-match series 2-1, the first two one-dayers at Sabina Park being washed out. "It's a great feeling to win after having lost the Tests. It's always great to win abroad," Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly observed. He praised his batsmen for paving the way for an easy win. "We batted well today. I wanted to bat the full 50 overs. We have a lot of youngsters in the side and it was important for either Sachin (Tendulkar), Rahul (Dravid) or me to bat till the end," he explained. On Sunday, the plan worked, with Tendulkar, who made 65 off 70 balls, staying till the 47th over to guide the Indians to a healthy total. Indian coach John Wright was also upbeat in the post-match conference. "After the Test series loss, we wouldn't have been able to swallow a one-day defeat, and this result has been great," Wright said. "The batting order looks a lot more measured now with Sachin coming at number four and Dinesh Mongia and Virender Sehwag developing well." He praised his young bowling attack for their splendid show in the series. "On the bowling front, we have a young attack, but Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Tinu Yohannan and Ajit Agarkar all did well," The Indian coach observed. "The fielding is improving in every game, and we've started to do better in our running between the wickets as well. I think we're working towards finding the right combination for next year's World Cup," he added.

A true champion Sachin Tendulkar is not just the finest batsman in contemporary cricket, but also the ultimate team man. On Sunday, the little master successfully overcame an aching shoulder to help India carve out a memorable win. "I was in pain, but I had to push myself today. It bothered me throughout, but I knew I had to do what I did," he told mediamen at the end of the match. "I knew this was a big game. We were so close to winning the series, and we desperately needed to win after having lost the Tests. That is why I played," he added. It was a vital decision; Tendulkar’s 65 runs and his three-over bowling spell, which saw him claim the wicket of Lara, were instrumental in swinging the match decisively in India’s favour.

Put all that "useless" knowledge to the ultimate test. Play CricWhiz, CricInfo's online cricket quiz. Click Here In the fitness of things, a feature on fitness. Check out the Rasna Health Check. Click Here Pithy statements and quotable quotes. Get them all, straight from the horse's mouth, in "Wordsworth." Click Here