India held up by Edwards, Chanderpaul

ROSEAU: India's bowlers ran into a West Indian roadblock when Kirk Edwards and Shivnarine Chanderpaul took their team to 116 for three at tea on the fourth day of the third Test on Saturday.

India were made to toil as Edwards, unbeaten on 62, and Chanderpaul, not out on 25, put on 76 to guide West Indies to within 27 runs of erasing the visitors' first innings lead of 143.

India had a chance in the final over of the session to separate the fourth-wicket pair when Chanderpaul edged off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to slip but Rahul Dravid put down a sharp chance.

The Indians had early success after lunch, when Darren Bravo miscued an attempted loft off Harbhajan and was caught at deep mid-off for 14.

But Edwards, in particular, took the fight to the visitors, pulling Ishant Sharma for his fifth boundary to reach his 50 from 87 balls.

Before lunch, Sharma and Praveen Kumar struck early, tightening India's grip, and leaving West Indies 26 for two at the end of the first session.

The Indian new-ball pair removed openers Kieran Powell and Adrian Barath for four and six respectively.

Sharma had Powell caught at third slip, when he edged playing defensively forward, and Kumar had Barath caught at fourth slip, steering a delivery of no great merit to the fielder.

Earlier, India's lower-order batting was again undermined by Fidel Edwards, as the visitors were dismissed for 347 an hour and 10 minutes before the interval, replying to West Indies' first innings total of 204.

India continued from their overnight total of 308 for six, but Edwards claimed three of the last four wickets in a session interrupted by rain, finishing with 5-103 from 28.2 overs.

It was the second straight innings the West Indies fast bowler claimed five wickets and the 10th time in his 46-match career.

Devendra Bishoo took the other scalp to end with 2-125 from 38 overs, and West Indies Captain Darren Sammy supported with 2-51 from 28 overs.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was dismissed for his side's top score of 74, adding just nine to his overnight total.

Kumar made 23 from 27 balls, and there was little or no resistance from Harbhajan Singh, Sharma, and Munaf Patel.

The Indians hold a 1-0 lead in the three Test series, following a 63-run victory inside four days in Jamaica, and a draw in the second Test at Barbados.

The visitors are looking to wrap up their second straight Test series victory over West Indies in the Caribbean.

They are also looking to create a piece of history by becoming the first Indian side to win a Test and one-day international series in the Caribbean.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011