Reporting 3rd Day 4th Match – A Tough Fight for Both Teams
Internet Desk: West Indies are putting 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 games 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 leads 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.