CUTTACK - India clinched a tense 20-run victory over West Indies in the second one-dayer on Wednesday after off-break bowler Ramesh Powar led a fine effort by the home spinners.

Powar grabbed three for 42 and Sachin Tendulkar two wickets with his occasional spin bowling to give the home team a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.

West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul top-scored for the second successive game with a defiant 66 but the visitors were bowled out for 169 in 48.2 overs.

Man-of -the-match Dinesh Karthik struck his maiden one-day fifty (63) to guide India, who had chosen to bat first, to 189 all out, also in 48.2 overs, after paceman Daren Powell's four-wicket burst reduced them to 81 for six from 27 overs.

"When we went to West Indies last year we lost 4-1," India captain Rahul Dravid told reporters. "It is nice to return the complement and win these tight games."

On a surface where off spinner Harbhajan Singh turned the ball square, Chanderpaul was in control for a good part of the West Indies innings before they crumbled at the finish. Chanderpaul, whose masterly 149 not out in the first match also came chasing a lost cause, was last man out, bowled by left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan.

Powell dismissed the seasoned trio of Saurav Ganguly (13), Tendulkar (0) and Dravid (22) as well as Joginder Sharma (1) to grab four for 27 in a single 10-over spell. Karthik then led a spectacular counter attack, adding 62 for the eighth wicket with Ajit Agarkar, who made a battling 40.

Left-handed Chanderpaul led the West Indies' chase in the absence of skipper Brian Lara, out with a knee injury. He added 43 runs for the fourth wicket with Dwayne Bravo (31) and another 50 with Dwayne Smith (27) to help reach 139 for five before West Indies lost the plot.

Powar struck twice in one over, having Bravo caught at forward short leg and then bowling Runako Morton for a duck. Smith holed out against Tendulkar to be caught at deep mid-wicket.

"It wasn't easy to bat out there," said West Indies' stand-in captain Chris Gayle. "But we have to deal with the situation we have been given. India did a better job today, their spinners bowled well. We had a realistic chance to attain the target of 190 but we lost wickets at crucial situations."

The third match is in Chennai on Saturday.