A defiant Brian Lara batted almost throughout the day to steer West Indies to a thrilling draw. He started off cautiously and proceeded to erect, brick by brick, a wall between India and a win. India were on top, West Indies top-order was wobbling when the champion batsmen strode out at no 3, ahead of Sarwan, to face the challenge square-on. Taking the cue from Sehwag, the man-of-the-match, Lara stood outside the crease, and the famous high back-lift was raised throughout his innings but came down not for violence, as it usually does, but to caress the red cherry. This was his fourth-slowest Test innings, among all innings of 20 or more.

There was a time in the middle, when Sehwag, bowling round the wickets, got it to drift in, land on the rough outside the off stump and turn it away and Lara edged a few short of the waiting palms as he tried to stretch out in defense. The master decided to unfurl his famous whiplash square-drives and proceeded to impose himself on the proceedings. Sehwag went over to create an acute angle if Lara decides to drive square, Lara drove straight. The mini-crisis had blown over and Lara once again started to slow down. Couple of times in this series he had been trapped in front, stretching his front foot too much across. Here, he arrested that forward movement, stayed beside the line of the ball to steer his side to safety.

An umpiring error sent him back to the pavilion, opening a crack in the wall that he had carefully erected and India did their best to widen that crack but the West Indian tail hung on for dear life, steering their side to safety as eventually India ran out of time.

This is Sriram Veera, along with Binoy George signing off. The third Test starts on June 22nd at St. Kitts. Join us then, till then .... ta!