Rahul Dravid with the trophy which India clinched after winning the series 3-1

Vadodara: Sachin Tendulkar scored his 41st one-day hundred to power India to a crushing 160-run victory over the West Indies in the final match on Wednesday and clinch the four-game series 3-1.

The 33-year-old batsman reached a chancy 100 with a single off the last ball of the innings, helping the home team to pile up 341 for three after being asked to bat first.

The visitors were bowled out for 181 in 41.4 overs in reply, never really recovering after being reduced to five for 83.

The West Indian chase was never on as Chris Gayle (6) became Ajit Agarkar’s victim, for the third time in the series, in the third over of the innings.

Zaheer Khan accounted for the in-form Shivnarine Chanderpaul (14) before Irfan Pathan marked his return to the team with the wicket of Devon Smith (24).

Two run-outs, including that of captain Brian Lara (3), made it 83 for five and the match was virtually over then and there.

Any chance of a masterly knock in his last ODI in India by Lara was cut short in an unfortunate manner when Pathan deflected a drive by Samuels to the stumps at the non-striker’s end on his follow-through with the Windies great’s bat raised above the ground. He made only 3.

Another run-out, this time with a direct hit at the striker’s end by substitute Suresh Raina from backward point, sent back Lendl Simmons.

Samuels, who made 98 in the three-wicket victory in the previous match in Chennai, and Ramdin stopped the rot before both fell in the space of five runs.

The Indians arlier made full use of Lara’s largesse and scored at a fast clip, by rocketing off to 67 for one in ten overs and 127 for one in 20 at the end of the power plays.

Much-improved show

The Baroda Cricket Association, meanwhile, deserves kudos for conducting the match in a vastly improved manner. The facilities for the Media, for example, had been terrible during the last ODI (against Sri Lanka, November 2005), but the improvement was almost unbelievable.