WEST INDIES bowled and fielded untidily, after another poor batting performance, and India cantered to a comfortable six-wicket triumph in the second match of the three-nation limited-overs international series yesterday. Defending a modest target of 179, West Indies dropped three catches, made a few other blunders in the field, bowled 18 wides, and failed to show imaginative tactics to allow the Indians to achieve victory in 36 overs. Mahendra Dhoni, who was one when Dwayne Smith dropped him at square leg off Jermaine Lawson, had the privilege of hitting the winning runs, when he hooked a short delivery from the same bowler over long leg for six, as India finished on 180 for four. The defeat condemned West Indies to their 13th loss in 14 matches, since winning the International Cricket Council's Champions Trophy last September in England. India captain Rahul Dravid topscored with an unbeaten 52 from 65 balls that included seven boundaries to earn the Man-of-the-Match award. VICTORY COURSE He added 61 for the fourth wicket with Yuvraj Singh, who scored 28, that placed his side firmly on course for victory, after they slid to 82 for three in the 16th over. For the first time on this tour, West Indies' fielding and bowling, that during the preceding Test series against hosts Sri Lanka, brought back fond memories of a glorious past, let them down. After Lawson claimed the early scalp of Virender Sehwag caught behind down the leg-side for two in the second over, he should have claimed left-handed makeshift opening batsman Suresh Raina two balls later. Chasing a short, wide delivery, Raina, then two, cut hard, but straight to cover-point fielder Ricardo Powell, who could only parry the ball over his head, much to the chagrin of his teammates. Raina's response was a few meaty on-side strokes for boundaries, two in succession of Daren Powell, but he gave another chance on 27 off Tino Best, only for wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, whose hands had been adhesive all tour, to put him down. EARLY MOMENTUM Raina helped to give India the early momentum with half-dozen fours in 35 from 42 balls before he was caught at cover off Smith, when he slapped a short, wide delivery. In between, Best had Mohammed Kaif caught at first slip for 24 in the 16th over, but West Indies literally hit the wall, and it was their opponents who were singing when it was all over. Dravid dropped anchor and gained support from Yuvraj, before Lawson returned for a second spell, and removed the latter, when he bowled him for 28 in the 32nd over. But the writing was on the wall for West Indies already. Earlier, the Caribbean side, choosing to bat on a hard, true Rangiri Stadium pitch, was dismissed for 178 in 47.4 overs, after a 10-minute delay to the start, and a brief stoppage in the middle of their innings for rain. Left-hander Narsingh Deonarine hit two fours and one six in the top score of 41 from 91 balls. PERISHED He added 52 for the fourth wicket with West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was one of five batsmen that perished before they could reach the 30-run threshold. West Indies never recovered once they slid to 32 for three in the 14th over in the face of steady, if not menacing bowling from the Indians, as Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, and Sehwag all collected two wickets apiece. Runako Morton was adjudged lbw to Irfan Pathan for one in the third over, Sylvester Joseph was needlessly run out for three in the 10th over, and Xavier Marshall was caught at slip off Harbhajan's doosra for 26 in the 14th over to put West Indies under early pressure. Chanderpaul, the most experienced of the West Indies' batsmen, came to the wicket, and tried to repair the damage with Deonarine before he was lbw to Raina for 22 sweeping across the line in the 31st over. When Ricardo Powell was bowled by Sehwag for one in the next over, West Indies were 85 for five. Smith hit two fours and one six in 20 from seven balls, while Best and Ramdin scored 24 each to rally West Indies to a respectable total. SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES (maximum 50 overs) X. Marshall c R Dravid b H Singh 26 R. Morton lbw b Irfan Pathan 1 S. Joseph run out (Suresh Raina) 3 N. Deonarine lbw b Virender Sehwag 41 S. Chanderpaul lbw b Suresh Raina 22 R. Powell b Virender Sehwag 1 D. Smith c wkpr M Dhoni b H Singh 20 +D. Ramdin b Ashish Nehra 24 T. Best c Suresh Raina b Z Khan 24 D. Powell b Ashish Nehra 0 J. Lawson not out 3 Extras (b2, lb6, w4, nb1) 13 TOTAL (all out) 178 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-22, 3-32, 4-84, 5-85, 6-109, 7-140, 8-172, 9-172. Bowling: Irfan Pathan 9-2-29-1, Zaheer Khan 9.4-2-32-1, Harbhajan Singh 10-1-24-2, Ashish Nehra 9-2-23-2, Virender Sehwag 6-0-39-2, Suresh Raina 4-0-23-1. Overs: 47.4 INDIA (target: 179 runs from 50 overs) Mohammed Kaif c Joseph b Best 24 V Sehwag c wkpr Ramdin b Lawson 2 Suresh Raina c Marshall b Smith 35 Rahul Dravid not out 52 Yuvraj Singh b Lawson 26 +Mahendra Dhoni not out 15 Extras (lb5, w18, nb1) 24 TOTAL (4 wkts) 180 Venugopal Rao, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra did not bat. Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-68, 3-82, 4-143. Bowling: Powell 10-1-44-0, Lawson 9-0-58-2, Smith 10-0-37-1, Best 6-0-34-1, Morton 1-0-2-0. Overs: 36 overs Result: India won by six wickets. Points: India six, West Indies zero. Toss: West Indies. Umpires: D. Harper, T. Wijewardene (TV Replays: P. Manuel). Match Referee: M. Procter. Reprinted from jamaica-gleaner.com