Roseau, Dominica – Close to 10,000 fans packed into Windsor Park to cheer on the West Indies on Sunday as they earned a draw in the Third and final Digicel Test match. It brought a rousing end to the three-match Digicel Test Series.
The colourful and vocal crowd celebrated every good performance by the Windies as the batsmen fought hard to keep India at bay and then the bowlers ensured that the visitors did not chase down the victory target. The match ended in a draw and India won the Digicel Test Series 1-0 following their 63-run win in the opening match in Jamaica.
The hero for the West Indies was veteran Shiv Chanderpaul, who played a typically characteristic back-to-wall innings.
The 36-year-old, playing in his record 133rd Test match, made a brilliant 116 not out as the Windies batted for most of the day.
Chanderpaul batted for over eight hours and faced a whopping 343 balls in making his 23rd Test century. He added a crucial 65 for the ninth wicket with Fidel Edwards, who made a career-best 30 off 106 balls.
After the match West Indies captain Darren Sammy was full of praise for Chanderpaul and also thanked the people of Dominica for their overwhelming support of the team.
"What we saw today was a tremendous innings from Shiv which earned us a draw. We all know what he is capable of and even though he did not get a lot of runs earlier in the season the belief was always there. Today he played in the way we know he can, the way he has played for the West Indies for 17 years and we got a draw which we deserve.
"The good batting comeback started Saturday with Kirk Edwards getting a brilliant maiden century on debut and today Fidel faced over 100 balls and batted really well with Shiv. The guys really stuck at it and showed some character to get a draw here and deny India a victory," Sammy said.
"This is the kind of effort the coach has been calling for throughout, the kind of fight that is coming through. It was a good series overall. We fought throughout each match and showed signs of improvement. We did not lie down. The way we bowled in all the matches was very good and in this match we saw the batsmen really standing up."
Sammy was full of praise for the fans who gave the Windies a standing ovation after the match.
"The crowd was amazing. The amount of support we got was tremendous. The fans backed us throughout the match. They were cheering every run and that really gave us a massive lift. It just goes to show that once we show that fight that the fans will support us and show us love."