India began to make compensation for their limp World Twenty20 by sealing a 20-run win over West Indies in the first one-day international thanks to a pulsating century from Yuvraj Singh at Sabina Park.
Yuvraj, perhaps still in 20-over mode after his side's Super Eights exit in England earlier this month, smashed 131 off 102 balls before perishing to Dwayne Bravo courtesy of a fine catch by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin as India posted 339 for six.
The hosts made a decent fist of their reply, Shivnarine Chanderpaul top scoring with 63 from 59 balls, but none of their batsmen could stay at the crease long enough to see them home.
It was Dinesh Karthik who did the early damage for India, overcoming the losses of Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma to strike 67 off 76 balls.
The openers dished out some harsh treatment in Lionel Baker's first over before a Jerome Taylor bouncer accounted for Gambhir (13).
A Baker short ball did for Sharma (4) soon after, Bravo taking the catch on both occasions.
That brought Yuvraj and Karthik together, with the pair happy to rebuild slowly at first.
Karthik began to up the rate with boundaries off David Bernard and Bravo, before a Dilshan-esque scoop for six off the Jamaican brought up his 50.
Yuvraj smashed a pair of sixes off Chris Gayle and another off fellow spinner Sulieman Benn as the pair brought up a century stand and took India past 150.
But with the score on 166, Karthik paddled the ball through to Ramdin to end the partnership at 135.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni came to the crease and supported Yuvraj, who launched into Baker and Taylor to take his score from 84 to 114 in the space of two overs.
He then smashed back-to-back maximums off Taylor before Bravo took two in two, removing Yuvraj and Ravindra Jadeja with a pair of catches from the impressive Ramdin.
Dhoni (41 off 46) and Yusuf Pathan (40 not out off 38) then added some late runs to take India past 300, before a couple of lusty blows from Harbhajan Singh (21 not out off 13) gave the total a more intimidating look.
Openers Gayle (37) and Runako Morton (42) gave West Indies a solid base with 65 for the first wicket, and Sarwan (45) struck three sixes, including a lovely straight drive off Yuvraj, to keep them up with the rate.
Sarwan and Chanderpaul added 51 for the third wicket before the former was run out, a wicket which signalled the start of the end.
Bravo struggled to time the ball and was eventually removed by Ishant Sharma - albeit seemingly off a no ball - for eight off 21 deliveries, before his brother Darren, on debut, added 19 off 16.
Pathan accounted for Chanderpaul and Taylor, who contributed 21 off 15, as the West Indies tail wagged.
Ramdin (29 off 26), accompanied first by Bernard (19 off 20) and then Benn (seven off six), kept things interesting until the penultimate over, when Ashish Nehra induced a slog form the wicketkeeper which only found Harbhajan.
The second match of the four-game series takes place at the same venue on Sunday.
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