3rd Test, Day 4: Bhuvneshwar five-fer gives India a chance to win

Bhuvneshwar-Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up a five wicket haul against West Indies in the third test at St Lucia. Image Source: WICB

Internet Desk: A sensational spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar after lunch has helped India bowl West Indies out for 225 runs and take 128-run lead on the fourth day of the third Test at the Darren Sammy stadium. Bhuvneshwar bowled 10 overs and picked five wickets. It was his third five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

West Indies were 194/3 at lunch on Day 4 but collapsed immediately after. They added just 31 runs and lost 7 wickets in the post lunch session lasting only 20.3 overs. The first to go was Blackwood who edged an away delivery from Kumar to Kohli at slips. He scored only 20 runs but was involved in a crucial 67 runs with Marlon Samuels. The score at that time was 202/4.  Samuels immediately followed Blackwood as he was bowled by Kumar in his next over. Samuels scored 48 runs and West Indies were 203/5. Jadeja got Chase in the very next over as he had him caught by Rahane in the slips for 2 runs. The hosts at that point were 206/5. Kumar took the next three wickets of Holder(2), Gabriel(0) and Dowrich(0) while Ashwin finished off the innings after getting Miguel Cummins caught by Saha for a duck. West Indies were bowled out for 225 runs. Bhuvneshwar returned with figures of 23.4 -10-33-5.

In the first session Blackwood and Samuels put up a defiant fight back, as the hosts reached 194/3 (83 overs) at lunch on Day 4 at the Darren Sammy Stadium. Marlon Samuels (39*) and Jermaine Blackwood (20*) added 59 runs for the 4thwicket to defy the Indian bowling in an extended morning session. The hosts trail by 159 runs.

Starting from their day two score of 107/1 then, Kraigg Brathwaite (64 runs, 163 balls, 6 fours) and Darren Bravo (29 runs, 101 balls, 3 fours) took to the crease. The conditions were a bit like the first morning with the pitch feeling fresh. However Ravindra Jadeja (0-19) and Mohammed Shami (0-50) got things underway, with Ishant Sharma (1-40) soon taking over from the spinner.

The ploy was to attack Bravo with the short ball, even if only one fine leg fielder was provided to the bowlers, especially Ishant. But he crammed the batsman for space and he gave into his habitual urge, pulling straight to Jadeja in the 56th over. The umpires checked for no ball and it seemed that Ishant had overstepped marginally but the third umpire ruled in the bowler’s favour.

It became a double blow for the West Indies, as R Ashwin (1-51) removed Brathwaite at the other end three overs later, the batsman gloving down leg side and caught behind. It brought the proceedings to life, with only a small chance of result possible when play had started.

But Blackwood and Samuels put on another counter-attacking partnership to stall India’s progress. For once, the former was subdued and didn’t overtly attack the bowlers. There was a sharp chance in the 62nd over off Jadeja, when the ball lobbed up and Rohit Sharma diving backwards at forward short leg only managed to get a hand to it. The fielder was later hit on the helmet grille, to go with a hit at the back of the helmet on day two, but he was safe and continued fielding, as the 150-mark came up in the 63rd over.

At the other end, Samuels took on both Jadeja and Ashwin, attacking them in a measure approach and using his feet well. He used the aerial route on occasion, hitting a few lusty blows including a straight six against the off-spinner and brought up the 50-partnership off 132 balls, even as India took the new ball as soon as it became available.

On day one, West Indies won the toss and elected to field. India were reduced to 130/5 at one stage, after which R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha rescued the innings with an unbeaten century stand. On day two, the duo completed their respective hundreds, a fourth Test ton for Ashwin and a maiden Test century for Saha, putting on 213 runs for the 6th wicket. India finished at 353 runs in their first innings. Afterwards, Kraigg Brathwaite struck an unbeaten half-century in a strong West Indies’ reply of 107/1. Incessant rains completely washed out day three.

India lead the four-match series 1-0, after winning the first Test in Antigua by an innings and 92 runs. The second Test in Jamaica was drawn.