Buoyed by an inspired spell of fast-bowling from recalled Trinidadian Ravi Rampaul, the West Indies were able to record a clinical eight-wicket win over India at Sabina Park yesterday.

The win saw the hosts square their four-match Digicel one-day international series at 1-1 heading into Friday and Sunday's final two matches in St Lucia.

Rampaul, who was given a look in after fellow pacer Lionel Baker failed to impress in last Friday's first match in which the West Indies lost by 20 runs, in a fiery spell with opening ball partner Jerome Taylor, claimed a career-best 4-37 off his allotted 10 overs, as the West Indies, chasing India's modest total of 188 off 48.2 overs, made 192-2 off 34.1 overs.

All-rounder Dwayne Bravo, 3-26 of nine overs, and Taylor, 3-35 off 9.2, best supported the 24-year-old Rampaul, who was named man of the match.

The West Indies, after being set by Rampaul and company, coasted to victory on a 101-run partnership off 15.2 overs led by Christopher Gayle and another recall, Runako Morton. Gayle, in his usual belligerent self, scored 64 of 46 balls, while Morton, ticked off 85 off 102 balls, as the West Indies, in front of an appreciative crowd, which filled three-quarters of the venue, ensured a series extension.

Good pitch

After being gifted the opportunity of not batting on a pitch which had overnight moisture and was dark in colour, and having the Indians reeling at 7-3, the West Indies did not ease up off the gas and had the visitors scampering at 57-5 and 82-8.

In fact, had it not been for a record regional ODI ninth-wicket stand between Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who topscored for the Indians with a painstaking but important 130-ball 95, and pacer Rudra Pratap Singh, who had 21, India could have folded under the venue's lowest ODI total of 99 made by Zimbabwe during the 2007 Cricket World Cup.