Laxman and Mongia Shine

Following the early Indian crawl, which produced just 10 runs from the opening 14 overs, Laxman's 132-ball innings was a tonic not only for India but also for the suffering spectators.

Dinesh Mongia then reached 87, including seven fours, off 140 balls in a fifth-wicket stand of 71 with wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra.

Openers Shiv Sunder Das and Wasim Jaffer were both making their first appearances, after arriving as additions to the one-day squad for the Test series against England on Thursday week.

They were tied down as Reon King opened with three successive maiden overs.

Jaffer had scored only five when he edged the lively Marlon Black to give wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert a straight forward catch.

Das laboured on to reach 29 in 155 painstaking minutes, before he was deceived by the left arm spin of Ryan Hinds, who trapped him lbw.

Laxman looked untroubled as he hit nine fours in his 85 off 132 balls, sharing in an 86-run third-wicket stand with Dinesh Mongia.

Laxman eventually fell when he was tempted by the occasional off-spin of Chris Gayle, missed his shot and skied a catch to Lendl Simmons to leave India on 155 for three.

Despite losing Sanjay Bangar, another of the new arrivals, for a duck just six runs later, Mongia came into his own. He shared a fifth-wicket stand of 71 with Ajay Ratra before he was bowled swinging across the line to give Hinds his second wicket.