Rampaul on the rampage

Ravi Rampaul celebrates with Denesh Ramdin after removing Praveen Kumar, the last of his four cheap wickets

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West Indies thrashed India by eight wickets to level the one-day series at 1-1 with two matches to play.

The tourists were bowled out for just 188 at Sabina Park in Jamaica - the venue where both teams exceeded 300 two days ago - as Ravi Rampaul claimed 4-37.

India were thankful for Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s defiant 95 as he and RP Singh, who made 23, shared a 101-run stand which rescued their team from a perilous 82 for eight.

However, West Indies set about their pursuit with gusto and brought up 50 in the eighth over, with openers Runako Morton and, in particular, Chris Gayle utterly dominant.

Gayle’s half-century came in 37 balls, and he took his team to three figures with a huge six off Harbhajan Singh in the 15th over.

The left-hander fell for a 46-ball 64 soon afterwards when he clubbed Rohit Sharma to a scampering Gautam Gambhir at long-off.

Ramnaresh Sarwan was stumped for 15 off Sharma, but Morton continued to anchor the innings brilliantly and finished unbeaten on 85 from 102 balls as the target was reached with more than 15 overs remaining.

Earlier, Dwayne Bravo and Jerome Taylor, who claimed 3-26 and 3-35 respectively, followed up the good work done by Rampaul.

After Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat, the tourists made a nightmare start, losing three wickets for seven runs in the first two overs.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is bowled by Dwayne Bravo for a superb 95, having rescued India from the depths of 82 for eight

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Dinesh Karthik was caught behind off a Taylor outswinger, while Gambhir and Sharma were undone by Rampaul without scoring.

Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni set about salvaging the innings, the former hitting 35 at quicker than a run a ball before he chased a wide delivery from Taylor to provide wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin with a third catch.

Yusuf Pathan and Harbhajan Singh succumbed to Bravo either side of Ravindra Jadeja’s departure - caught behind off the irrepressible Rampaul - and Praveen Kumar could only edge an attempted cut off Rampaul to Gayle at first slip. None had managed double figures.

Dhoni dug in to go an 87-ball half-century, adding 101 for the ninth wicket with Singh before the latter pulled Bravo tamely to midwicket. He had batted for more than an hour and a half and faced 75 balls.

Dhoni was last man out in the penultimate over of the innings, bowled by Taylor’s slower ball as he made room, and Gayle and Morton ensured West Indies were barely inconvenienced by a victory target of 189.

The series resumes on Friday with the first of two matches in St Lucia.