Return of the prodigal

This series is just about half done but one doubts if those watching have any nails left. The series summary so far - three games, three last-over finishes, and tens of thousands of nervous disorders. Today, the fates smiled on West Indies, Ramnaresh Sarwan produced his second consecutive gem and India lost the battle of the inches. Suddenly, with West Indies showing some admirable fight, there's an added pep in the calypso, an extra zing accompanying every hip gyration.

None of it would have been possible without Sarwan. Through the years, he's often resembled the prodigal son, frustrating all with his indiscretion, showing immense potential, yet not being able to complement it with consistency. Sarwan understands. He has no qualms in admitting that he is "disappointed" with his progress as a batsman, has no inhibitions in stating that he hasn't learnt how to handle different match situations, and states that he's just about "coming to terms" with understanding his game. He talks about the legacy of West Indian teams gone by and appears to be aware of the "huge responsibility" that he and his team-mates "owe to the Caribbean".

India, though, occupies a special place in his heart. Sarwan, a Guyanese, is a devout Hindu and relishes Indian cuisine. He loves watching Bollywood movies and can't stop raving about Rani Mukherjee - who he met while touring India in 2002 - and drops a few Hindi words in conversation. Before this game, in 14 one-dayers against India, he had amassed 641 runs at an imposing 71.22. It included an unbeaten 99 at Ahmedabad in November 2002, and a superbly-paced 98, unbeaten again, in the last game.

Compared to Jamaica, the circumstances, in his 100th ODI today, were different. If his job there was to keep his side afloat, his task here was to steer the chase. In both cases, pacing the innings was essential, staying till the end was a priority. Unlike in the previous match, there was no hibernation period and he attacked when given the opportunity. Irfan Pathan's full offerings were drilled through cover; Sreesanth's attempted short balls that sat up were duly spanked. "I just wanted to play straight down the wicket," he said of his strategy, "I saw the way Runako and Marlon got out when the ball kept low. So I wanted to keep the ball in front of me and try and wait for the bad balls. Fortunately I got a few bad balls when I started."

But the real punishment was reserved for Ramesh Powar. Sighting loopy toffees, Sarwan jumped down the track, met the ball soon after it pitched and slammed it. In Powar's first over, Sarwan cleared long-on; in his second, he cleared it again, this time finding the roof. The message was loud and clear: you tempt, I pelt. "He bowled slow and in the previous game he was getting a lot of help from the surface," he said of Powar. "I thought I would use my feet, get closer to the pitch of the ball and try and hit him down to mid-off. But I got much closer, close enough to hit him ... wherever."

His 106-run association with his Guyanese team-mate, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, eventually tilted the scales. In four overs, starting from the 40th, they scored only in singles, stealing 20 runs and adding to India's frustration. Dravid didn't want to get the field in as he was looking to "take it right till the end"; Sarwan didn't want to take any risks because "we knew we could win if we bat till the end".

Inevitably, the tense end arrived. "We needed six off the last over and I told Carlton [Baugh] to get bat on to ball, to take a single wherever. Basically I wanted to finish the game with a boundary. I thought it would be appropriate if I try and be positive; instead of looking for a single as Carlton was pretty new to the crease." With four needed off 3, Dravid cracked, misfielding a Sarwan cover-drive and allowing them to get two.

A sense of déjà vu accompanied Sreesanth's penultimate ball. Will it be Sabina Park all over again? Can he do a Bravo? Even before it was delivered, Sarwan had begun to dance down the track. It was full and slightly wide. Sarwan made room, the crowd looked on stunned and ... crack. St Kitts erupted in a volcano of joy. The first-ever international game here had been an affair to remember.