India face a tough final day

Chanderpaul has now scored an aggregate of 558 runs in the series at an average of 186.0 and is closing in on captain Carl Hooper's leading total of 579.

India grabbed five quick wickets, including Brian Lara for a breezy 35, before Chanderpaul put on 36 alongside wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs (16) and an undefeated 43 with Pedro Collins (4no).

Paceman Mervyn Dillon earlier took a Test-best 5-71 as India lost their last six wickets for 44 runs despite a fighting, unbeaten 65 by Vangipurappu Laxman.

India resumed on 141-4 on Monday, before Saurav Ganguly fell after adding just 14 runs to his overnight 22 when he edged a ball from Dillon that swung late to Jacobs.

Wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra, who scored his maiden Test century in the drawn fourth test in Antigua, was caught for three fending a short ball from Dillon straight to Wavell Hinds at forward short-leg.

Harbhajan Singh fell in an identical manner soon after to give Dillon his fifth wicket, while Zaheer Khan was out for six, mistiming an attempted pull off Cameron Cuffy to Lara at cover.

Left-arm paceman Collins then dismissed Javagal Srinath (2) edging to Chris Gayle at second slip.

Last man Ashish Nehra stuck around with Laxman for 44 minutes before being run out for a duck by a direct hit from Ramnaresh Sarwan at backward point.

India fight back

But fast bowler Srinath started India's rally with a fiery opening spell, having first-innings centurion Wavell Hinds (6) caught by Laxman at second slip and fellow opener Chris Gayle (15) caught by Ganguly in the gully.

Left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan then removed three middle-order batsmen.

Khan forced Sarwan (12) to drive to cover where Shiv Sundar Das took a catch diving forward, and also had Hooper edging to Ratra for six before getting the prize scalp of Lara with a ball that crept through his defence and hit the stumps.

He could have taken a fourth wicket when Jacobs, on one, edged to first slip but Rahul Dravid dropped a chest-high sitter.

The left-hander was eventually removed for 16, flicking off-spinner Harbhajan straight to substitute Dinesh Mongia at forward short-leg. Nehra followed up by clean bowling Dillon for four.

India won the second test in Trinidad by 37 runs before West Indies hit back with a 10-wicket win in Barbados to level the series 1-1.

The Indians have not won a test series in the Caribbean for more than 30 years.