PTI
 
Kingston, May 22: Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s bid to reclaim the slot of the top ODI batsman had got off to an inauspicious start in the Caribbean, with scores of 18 and two in the first two matches.   
 
With his second successive dismissal on Saturday, the Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batsman’s average has dropped below 50 for the first time. He now has 1,392 runs in 44 matches at an average of 49.71.

But it was not all bad news for Dhoni in the second ODI against West Indies as his catch to dismiss Chris Gayle was his 50th dismissal in ODIs.

His tally now reads 52 (43 catches and nine stumpings).

The one-run defeat that tied the five-match series 1-1 was the third occasion India had lost by the narrowest of margins.

The previous two were both inflicted by Australia at the World Cup-at Brisbane on March 1, 1992 and at Chennai on October 9, 1987.

The previous narrowest victory margin for the West Indies against India was two runs at Ahmedabad on January 7, 1988. It was their second one-run victory in ODIs after the one at Sydney on December 13, 1988.

Out of the 18 instances of one-run wins in ODI cricket, Australia have recorded five, followed by New Zealand and India with three each.

Saturday’s defeat also snapped India’s 17-match winning sequence in ODIs while chasing.

Interestingly, the match saw West Indies’ 297th ODI win while it was India’s 297th defeat in the shorter version of the game.

Yuvraj Singh, who almost took India to victory with an innings of 93, registered his 24th ODI half-century. He has an aggregate of 717 in 15 matches in 2006 at 65.18, including two 100s and four fifties. Only Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara has tallied more runs this year - 820 in 20 matches at 43.16.

Ajit Agarkar became the first first Indian bowler to claim 10 wickets in the West Indies when he dismissed the centurion from the first match, Chris Gayle.

Irfan Pathan, who claimed three wickets for 45 runs, had his best bowling figures against the West Indies, improving upon his two for 34 at Colombo, on August 7, 2005.

Caribbean skipper Brian Lara is without a fifty against India in his last nine ODI innings, after his 60 off 43 balls at Kallang on September 5, 1999.

The maestro’s last half century at Sabina Park came against South Africa on April 28, 2001.

Ramnaresh Sarwan was adjudged Man of the Match for his innings of 98, the seventh time he has been named so in ODIs and the second against India. The Guyana right-hander had got his first ever Man of the Match award in ODIs against India at Jamshedpur on November 6, 2002.

His 22nd fifty on Saturday took his ODI career aggregate to 3,292 runs in 99 matches at 45.72. The average is the best among current West Indian batsmen.

Ian Bradshaw’s bowling figures of three wickets for 33 were his best against India, bettering his two for 40 in the previous match.