Tendulkar accepts the applause for yet another ODI century

Sachin Tendulkar hit his 41st one-day century as India beat West Indies by 160 runs to clinch the series 3-1.

The hosts smashed 341-3 in Vadodara, with Sourav Ganguly (68) and Rahul Dravid (78) filling their boots, while Mahendra Dhoni clubbed an unbeaten 40.

Tendulkar's century, brought up with the final ball of the innings, took him 76 balls as he hit 10 fours and a six.

West Indies, who won the toss, were bowled out for 181 in the 42nd over, Marlon Samuels top-scoring with 55.

Tendulkar's success makes it more likely he will drop from his normal opening berth for the World Cup, although India have four more matches against Sri Lanka to experiment.

Every cricketer dreams of doing well at the World Cup and I am no different Sachin Tendulkar

Ganguly, fluent in his stroke-play as he notched up his second half-century of the series, added 101 for the second wicket with Dravid.

The former captain was eventually stumped charging spinner Chris Gayle but Tendulkar, who scored a fifty in the previous match, displayed pristine form.

He was particularly severe on left-arm paceman Ian Bradshaw, hitting him for three boundaries in a row.

He survived two dropped catches late in his innings but, even if they had been taken, India's total would barely have been reduced.

Captain Dravid, also finding form at the right time, notched up his second consecutive half-century with seven fours before being caught on the mid-wicket boundary.

Lara awaits the third umpire, who evetually gave the left-hander out

The West Indies made three changes to the squad that won last Saturday by three wickets.

Opener Shivnarine Chanderpaul, all-rounder Dwayne Smith and Bradshaw were included in the new line-up, replacing the injured Dwayne Bravo, who has a sore left shoulder, Runako Morton and Jerome Taylor.

606 DEBATE: Give your views on India's series victory

India made five changes with Ganguly, pace bowlers Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan, wicket-keeper Mahendra Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh included in the team.

Ganguly briefly took over captaincy duties with Dravid suffering cramp and his deputy Tendulkar also off the field.

Pathan, playing for the first time in the series, was India's most expensive bowler.

Courtesy of a wonderful Yuvraj Singh catch, however, he took the wicket of Devon Smith which left the tourists on 65-3 in the 15th over.

The position looked hopeless and the twin run outs of Lara and Lendl Simmons - the first fortunate, the second following a direct hit from substitute Suresh Raina - ended the match as a contest.