India surprisingly opted not to press for victory, with 86 needed from 15 overs and seven wickets in hand, as the third and final Test against the West Indies ended in a draw, giving the visitors a 1-0 series victory in Roseau.
Needing 180 for a win from 47 overs, India were 94 for three after 32 overs, but decided to end their run chase just before the start of the 15 mandatory overs, on a Windsor Park pitch that was not too bad for a fifth day track.
Rahul Dravid was batting on 34 and VVS Laxman on three when India decided to close shop. Their offer of a draw was readily accepted by the hosts.
Initially, India appeared serious on the chase as Murali Vijay (45) and Dravid put on 73 runs for the second wicket, and the West Indies began resorting to negative tactics by asking leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo to bowl down the leg side.
India clinched the three-match series 1-0, the lone victory coming at Kingston, Jamaica, in the opening Test. The second Test at Bridgetown, Barbados, also ended in a draw.
India thus registered their third series victory in the Caribbeans, having earlier achieved the feat in 1971 and 2006, under the captaincy of Ajit Wadekar and Dravid respectively.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni' side, however, missed out on a chance to beat the West Indies 2-0 in the Caribbeans for the first time. The 1971 and 2006 series victories were also by 1-0 margins.
In a reflection of their domination over the West Indies in recent times, India's series win was also the third in a row after the 2-0 victory in the three-match Test series at home in 2002-03 and 1-0 win in the Caribbeans in 2006.
India had a terrible start to their run-chase, as opener Abhinav Mukund (0) was adjudged leg before wicket to Fidel Edwards off the first delivery of the innings. Then Vijay and Dravid had a couple of close calls against the new ball.
The first signs of changing equations in India's favour appeared when Vijay jumped out of his crease to cart Darren Sammy for a near six to mid-wicket and Dravid pulled a short delivery from Devendra Bishoo in the same direction.
At the first drinks break in the final session, India had moved to 64 for one, with Vijay on 40 and Dravid on 22. The hosts began to feel the heat, with 116 required from the 28 remaining overs.
The West Indies dropped the guard when they spread the field and Bishoo began pitching his leg-spinners much beyond the leg stump. It immediately worked to the hosts' advantage as both Vijay and Dravid found it difficult to break the shackles.
A frustrated Vijay then pulled a Ravi Rampaul delivery from outside the off-stump to the mid-on fielder after scoring 45 runs and sharing a 73-run second-wicket stand with Dravid.
Vijay faced 78 balls and hit four fours.
India still showed their intent to chase down the target by promoting Suresh Raina (8) up the order, but once the left-hander offered a return catch to Rampaul, they gave up the chase.
The appearance of Laxman from the dressing room, with 94 required from 18-odd overs, was a clear signal that India were not going to chase down the target with two discarded ODI players in the middle.
Earlier, the West Indies staged a remarkable fightback, veteran Shivnaraine Chanderpaul leading the way with a defiant unbeaten 116, his 23rd Test century and sixth against India.
The hosts, down in the dumps at 224 for six, ahead by just 81 runs before the start of the day's play, kept India in the field for 48-odd overs before taking their score to 322 all out.
Chanderpaul was the hosts' batting hero; his 65-run association with Fidel Edwards (30), which consumed 37 overs, was the proverbial straw which broke the back of the Indians.
India, however, had looked good to wrap the West Indies innings in the pre-lunch session itself when they got rid of Sammy (17) and Ravi Rampaul (0) in the space of four deliveries.
Sammy had added 32 runs with Chanderpaul in convincing style before umpire Richard Kettleborough wrongly adjudged him out, caught at forward short leg, though the ball went off the pads.
Ishant Sharma's brilliance led to Rampaul's dismissal, as the West Indian was run out for one.
New-man Fidel Edwards had a nasty reception at the wicket -- a rising delivery from Munaf Patel smacked him below his right ear and he needed prolonged medical treatment on the pitch.
Chanderpaul, who resumed at 73 on the final morning, was determination personified, manipulating the field with his deft placements and glides.
Ishant and Praveen Kumar, who shared the second new ball in the morning, were lacklustre, and only off-spinner Harbhajan Singh looked like taking wickets with his probing spin.
Raina then struck for the visitors, claiming the final two wickets in successive overs. He first had Edwards caught in the deep, and then Bishoo fell to a catch in the slips.
Edwards batted for 157 minutes and faced 106 balls, hitting two fours.
Chanderpaul remained at the crease for 471 minutes and hit five fours from 373 balls.
Harbhajan was the most successful Indian bowler, with four for 74, while Raina and Praveen had two scalps each. Ishant claimed one wicket.
