Samuels blows hot for Windies

Robin Uthappa got the innings off to a blistering start at the top of the order © Getty Images

Marlon Samuels and Brian Lara set up West Indies for a comfortable three-wicket win over India in Chennai to keep the Pepsi Series alive.

A late flurry of wickets made the final result appear closer than it really was, with West Indies always in control after Samuels made 98 and Lara 83 to put them on course for their target of 269.

The win keeps West Indies in the series as India lead 2-1 with one game left to play.

The tourists made a poor start to their chase when Chris Gayle was dismissed first ball, trapped lbw by Ajit Agarkar.

When Runako Morton fell for just one, caught behind off Agarkar, India sensed a series victory.

But Samuels built a partnership of 65 with Devon Smith before the latter departed for 33, caught by Rahul Dravid in the slips off Anil Kumble.

Lara and Samuels proceeded to take the game away from India, finding the boundary with ease in a partnership worth 127.

Samuels faced 95 balls, hitting 12 fours and one six, but fell two runs short of a century when he became Agarkar’s third victim, edging behind to wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik.

Marlon Samuels fell just two runs short of his second ODI century © Getty Images

Lara departed seven overs later, having come down the wicket to Ramesh Powar but skying to Robin Uthappa in the covers.

Two further wickets fell in quick succession, but it was too late for India to have real hope of saving the game.

Dwayne Bravo edged to Suresh Raina in the slips off Sri Sreesanth, and Lendl Simmons was then caught by Uthappa for 17 off Powar.

Agarkar was the pick of the bowlers with 3-45, while Powar took 2-53.

Earlier, India had looked on course for a huge total before a lower-order collapse left with them with a more modest 268 all out off 48 overs.

Uthappa answered his critics with 70 off only 41 balls in an explosive start, leading the recovery after the early loss of Gautam Gambhir for a duck.

Gayle's introduction into the attack did for Uthappa and Raina looked nervous before falling to a mistimed back-foot forcing shot.

Sachin Tendulkar took over the mantle and reached his half-century off 51 balls, but he fell to a fantastic catch by Runako Morton.

Tendulkar tried to force a Bravo ball past mid-on but Morton was alert and he back-pedalled brilliantly before plucking the ball from the sky.

Just minutes before, Rahul Dravid departed after registering a half-century of his own, caught just inside the boundary as he hit across the line.

From then on it all went wrong. Yuvraj Singh was caught and bowled by the impressive Bravo, who dismissed Dinesh Karthik two balls later, and a fine catch by Morton off Samuels accounted for Agarkar.

Within three overs it was all over. Powar gave Jerome Taylor a return catch and Bravo removed Sreesanth to bring the innings to an end.