Cricket: West Indies fight back but India take first-innings lead

WEST Indies fought back well with three wickets after lunch to restrict India to 182 for five at tea on the third day of the third test in Dominica yesterday.

India lead the three-Test series 1-0 and were just 22 runs behind West Indies first innings total at the second interval of the day, but their dominance could have been more emphatic had the Caribbean bowling attack not stuck to their task well at Windsor Park, Roseau.

Abhinav Mukund, who had made his maiden test half-century in his third game for his country, must have been fancying his chances of going on to a first hundred but he was caught, off a bat-pad, by Adrian Barath from leg-break spinner Devendra Bishoo's after scoring 62.

Virat Kohli was then caught behind for 30 off the bowling of West Indies skipper Darren Sammy - who had removed Rahul Dravid earlier in the day for five - to leave the tourists at 168 for four.

A key breakthrough for the home side came with the dismissal of Vangipurappu Laxman in unusual circumstances - the Indian batsman, on 56, let go a wide delivery from occasional spinner Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but lifted his foot briefly and wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh reacted sharply to stump him.

West Indies were without seamer Ravi Rampaul who was struggling with a virus.

After the tea interval, skipper Mahendra Dhoni and Suresh Raina consolidated India's position.

With 22 overs of the day remaining, both players had moved into the 30s, taking the tourists to 233-5, a first-innings lead of 29.