AGENCY
NORTH SOUND (ANTIGUA): A dominant India left a hapless West Indies on the verge of a possible innings defeat at 21 for one in their second innings after being asked to follow-on on the third day of the opening cricket Test, here.
After a brilliant display from the willow-wielders, Indian bowlers too joined the party and bundled out West Indies for 243 to take a huge first innings lead of 323 runs.
Returning from a one and a half year injury layoff, Mohammad Shami (4-66) and Umesh Yadav (4-41) took four wickets each to wreck the hosts, dismissing them for 243 with 13 overs still remaining in the day. But that was after Shane Dowrich (57 not out, 10 fours) and skipper Jason Holder (36) put on 69 runs for the eighth wicket.
India then enforced the follow-on. At stumps the hosts West Indies were placed at 21/1 in 13 overs in their second innings, still trailing by 302 runs after the visitors had finished their first innings at 566 for eight declared.
Earlier at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Dowrich and Holder looked good in the middle and kept the scoreboard ticking for the duration of their partnership, with the West Indies’ 200-mark coming up in the 81st over and their 50-run stand coming off 80 balls.
The new ball was taken thereafter, with R Ashwin (0-43) starting but he soon gave way to Yadav and Shami. Dowrich meanwhile got to his second Test half-century off 75 balls, even as runs started flowing owing to the hardness of the new ball.
But it didn’t last long as Yadav finally induced an edge off Holder in the 86th over, caught behind by keeper Wriddhiman Saha. It was his sixth dismissal of the innings and he equalled the Indian record held by both Farokh Engineer and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Yadav then bowled Carlos Brathwaite (0) off the very first ball, as the burly batsman shouldered arms to an incoming delivery. Amit Mishra (2-43) then ended the resistance and bowled Shannon Gabriel (2).
Trailing by 323 runs, the West Indies were asked to follow on, and Ishant Sharma (1-3) managed to remove the in-form Kraigg Brathwaite (2) in the very first over, trapping him LBW. Thereafter, Rajendra Chandrika (9 batting) and Darren Bravo (10 batting) successfully negotiated the remaining overs without further loss. (pti)
score board
India 1st innings 566/8 dec
West Indies 1st innings
K Brathwaite c W Saha b U Yadav 74
R Chandrika c W Saha b M Shami 16
D Bishoo st W Saha b A Mishra 12
D Bravo c W Saha b M Shami 11
M Samuels c W Saha b M Shami 01
J Blackwood c A Rahane b M Shami 00
R Chase c V Kohli b U Yadav 23
S Dowrich (†) not out 57
J Holder (C) c W Saha b U Yadav 36
C Brathwaite b U Yadav 00
S Gabriel b A Mishra 02
Extras 11
Total 243/10
West Indies 2nd innings
K Brathwaite lbw b I Sharma 02
R Chandrika Batting 09
D Bravo c A Rahane b U Yadav 10
M Samuels Batting 01
Extras 0
Total 21/2
