Tuesday, June 27 2006 17:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

St. Kitts: West Indies captain Brian Lara has said that the presence of Virender Sehwag in the Indian ranks was the reason he decided to bat for a few extra overs on the final day of the third cricket Test here.

"With the likes of Virender Sehwag in their ranks, you always want to be cautious. Indians must be given credit for sniffing a win towards the end," Lara said after the match.

Despite being set a stiff target of 392 runs off 88 overs, India took up the challenge from the start through Sehwag's blistering 65 off 75 deliveries which proved that Lara's fears were not unfounded.

However, the Delhi batsman's dismissal immediately after lunch and that of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the final session persuaded the visitors to shut up shop and leave the series in the balance going into the final Test in Jamaica.

But Lara believed that his team held the advantage over India going into the decider starting June 30.

"Going into the final Test, we have the slight psychological advantage. Jamaica is now the ultimate Test, virtually a final," the batting maestro said.

He saw several positives in the way his team played at St Kitts.

"Guys in the team are now coming of age. Gayle, Sarwan, Ganga, Chanderpaul in this game. I think the team is beginning to show a lot of maturity. Only I appear to be struggling!"he said.

"The fact that we are playing for five days is something the journalists and people haven't seen for a long while. In the past we were beaten badly and with time to spare. I think it is a step forward," Lara said.





While praising his bowling combination, Lara pointed out that there were areas that needed improvement.



"Guys were tremendous in this Test. After couple of days'rest, they should be alright to carry the load again.

"Collymore, Taylor, Collins and Bradshaw were the guys who are still to perform at their best. May be an additional player could be a good choice but I would still like to see this group (in Jamaica)," the skipper said.

"But if we have to go to reserve bank to get new players because we have played three hard Tests, it shows some sort of weakness," he said. Lara stressed on the need for the team to take the chances when they presented themselves.

"We bowled well but ran out of steam after nine wickets. This is the kind of opportunity in Test matches which you need to grab and finish the opposition off," he said.

He also hinted that the balance of the team could be tinkered with for the Test in Jamaica.

"We played seven batsmen in this game and made 581 runs but then we didn't have the firepower. We needed an extra bowler to put pressure on the Indians. Whether we are going to field six-four for the final Test is the area we need to think about," he said.

After three drawn games, Lara hoped for a result in favour of his team in Jamaica.

"I would love to see the series come to a result. It would be a huge disappointment if all four Test matches finish in a draw. You spend one-and-a-half months of playing cricket and at the end of it, you want a result," the master batsman added.