Bhuvneshwar Kumar takes five wickets as India build lead in St Lucia

A startling West Indies batting collapse allowed India to build a 285-run lead after four days of the third Test in St Lucia.

The hosts looked to be in great position to challenge India's first innings of 353 when they reached 202-3 in reply but then proceeded to lose their last seven wickets for only 23 runs.

And a half-century from Ajinkya Rahane saw India reach 157-3 by the close and at least in position to claim a straightforward draw and hold on to their 1-0 series lead with one more Test to play.

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Marvin Samuels and Jermaine Blackwood took their fourth-wicket partnership to 67 in the morning session before the West Indies batting line-up fell apart completely.

Blackwood was first to depart for 20, giving India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar the first of what turned into an impressive five-wicket haul.

Later in the same over Kumar also accounted for Samuels, who was clean bowled for 48, and in the next over second Test hero Roston Chase was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja for only two runs.

Shane Dowrich hit a couple of fours in his innings of 18 but he was the last man to fall on 225 as Kumar (5-33) completed a fantastic five-for after dismissing Jason Holder (2) and Alzarri Joseph (0).

Already leading by 128 runs, Lokesh Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan added another 49 to that advantage before Rahul was dismissed by Miguel Cummins for 28.

Cummins also trapped captain Virat Kohli in front for four and Dhawan's innings ended on 26 when he was dismissed in similar fashion by Chase, leaving India in a touch of peril on 72-3.

But that would be the last India wicket to fall in the final session with Rahane (51) and Rohit Sharma (41) adding an unbeaten 85 for the fourth wicket as India looked to bat the hosts out of a match that has been affected by rain.