Samuels cut loose to notch his seventh Test fifty

Opener Wasim Jaffer struck a half-century to bolster India's reply to West Indies' 581 on the third day of the third Test on Saturday.

At the close India were 150-2 with Jaffer back in the pavilion after scoring 60 with 10 boundaries.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul was left stranded on 97 not out when West Indies collapsed after lunch with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh taking 5-147.

India need to score 382 to avoid the follow-on, with the series tied.

The West Indies' slide started in the third over after lunch when Marlon Samuels sent a ball from off-spinner Virender Sehwag to mid-wicket where Harbhajan took the catch.

Samuels had faced 159 balls and hit eight fours and three sixes for his 87 and his dismissal ended a sixth-wicket stand of 156 with Chanderpaul.

Chanderpaul was 84 not out when Samuels was dismissed and his remaining 13 runs were made up of a two and 11 singles as the Indians restricted him with tight bowling and sharp fielding.

The Windies tail then collapsed as Harbhajan's perseverance was rewarded with a glut of wickets.

Denesh Ramdin and Jerome Taylor departed after trying aggressive strokes while Pedro Collins and Corey Collymore fell in the same over to leave Chanderpaul just short of his 15th century.

Fast bowler Collymore struck back for West Indies, getting Sehwag caught by Brian Lara at second slip for 31 to end India's opening stand at 61.

An hour before the close medium-pacer Dwayne Bravo drew Jaffer into a drive and the ball flew to Lara at second slip.