Debasis Sen, Kingston (Jamaica) :KL Rahul scored his highest individual Test score, helping India finish at 358/5 (125overs) at stumps on day two of the second Test in Jamaica. At Sabina Park, he scored 158 runs (303 balls, 15 fours, 3 sixes) and was out late in the third session of play, as the hosts pegged them back. India finished 162 runs ahead, after bowling out West Indies for just 196, with three days remaining in the match.
The opener slammed a classy ton on the second day of the second Test against West Indies in Jamaica on Sunday. With this ton, the 24-year-old Rahul has now scored a century in every overseas series that he has played. His first came against Australia in Sydney where he scored 110 in 2014. Then in 2015, he scored 108 in Sri Lanka in Colombo. And now he has one in West Indies too.
Rahul reached the landmark with a clean six off Roston Chase over mid-on. He took 182 balls to reach the three-figure mark. He started off patiently on the second day and increased the momentum after the first five overs.
Rahul made full use of whatever opportunities he has got so far in his short career. He replaced an injured Murali Vijay who had to miss out owing to a thumb injury in Antigua test. In Sydney, he replaced the out-of-form Cheteshwar Pujara while in Colombo he replaced an injured Shikhar Dhawan. Interestingly, apart from the three tons, he has only one double digit score in 11 Test innings – 16 against Sri Lanka against Australia.
Rahul and Kohli (44 runs, 90 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) began at 259/2 after tea, and looked to carry forward their partnership. The new ball was taken immediately after the break, with Shannon Gabriel (1-50) and Miguel Cummins (0-54) deployed. The latter was later out injured, pulling a hamstring, even as Rahul was dismissed in the 96th over, a faint edge down leg and the umpire checked upstairs before adjudging him out.
He added 69 runs with Kohli, who was then joined by Ajinkya Rahane (42*, 87 balls, 6 fours, 1 six), and the duo helped push the Indian score past the 300-mark in the 103rd over. The Indian skipper had looked comfortable before tea, but the new ball troubled him a bit more as there were quite a few played and missed moments. In fact, he was lucky not to be given LBW to Gabriel in the 100th over, on 27*, as the umpire didn’t comprehend that the ball would hit his legstump.
He hit a four and six in the 103rd over, but in the next over, Roston Chase (2-91) got extra bounce and he edged the ball to short leg. R Ashwin (3) then played a few uncharacteristic strokes and didn’t look comfortable either, especially when he lobbed one towards mid-off but the fielder couldn’t reach it. He was then out LBW to Devendra Bishoo (1-79).
Meanwhile, Rahane was still at the crease, and joined by Wriddhiman Saha (17*), and the duo played out the remaining overs bringing up the 350-mark before close of play. For the first time in this series meanwhile, the West Indies bowlers actually looked threatening for a change.
Earlier, Rahul up his third overseas Test century and helped India lead by 63 runs at lunch. Along with Cheteshwar Pujara (46 runs, 159 balls, 4 fours) he looked to make good on the hard work done in the morning session. The West Indies were looking listless as ever and this was a good time to get some quick runs under the belt. The only difference from the Antigua Test was perhaps that West Indies weren’t allowing easy scoring, and had tightened up.
The 200-mark for India came up in the 70th over, and the duo celebrated their 100-stand for the 2nd wicket off 283 balls. Even as the batsmen looked for runs, they had to take some risks, and in doing so Pujara was run-out after a direct throw from square leg found him short of the crease. It was a long stay at the crease, which didn’t even result in a half-century, an obvious source of disappointment as the batsman trudged off slowly.
Rahul suffered cramps thereafter, but kept going as Kohli joined him. The West Indies’ decision to delay the new ball helped him settle down, and he was beaten only once in the first 20 deliveries that he had faced. Kraigg Brathwaite (0-26) was put to bowl, much to everyone’s surprise, and soon the runs began flowing again as India went past the 250-mark in the 90th over, as the two batsmen put up 50 runs for the 3rd wicket off 106 balls. Just before tea, Rahul went past the 150-mark for the first time in his Test career.
In the morning, Rahul and Pujara had played out a slow morning session, as India were trailing the hosts by just 11 runs at lunch. Starting at the overnight score of 126/1, the two batsmen looked to play for time, as there was still something in the pitch for the bowlers. However they didn’t have any help from the weather, as it was bright and sunny when play began, rendering this a good day to bat.
Even so, the West Indies’ pacers didn’t make things easy for the Indian batsmen. Gabriel bowled an extended spell, as did Cummins and the two bowled a nagging line to trouble the duo at the crease. Gabriel, in particular, tested both Rahul and Pujara, thrice inducing edges as they fell short of the waiting cordon. On three other occasions, he beat the batsmen with his pace and bounce.
Cummins too beat the batsmen with his line and length, getting a couple to rise awkwardly, but the edges didn’t come or didn’t carry to the fielders as the batsmen looked to play with soft hands. It obviously affected the run-rate, as only 22 runs came in the first hour of play, with Pujara taking 35 deliveries to get off his overnight score of 18*. The 150-mark came up in the 52nd over and the duo brought up their 50-partnership off 141 deliveries.
Soon enough, after being patient through the morning, Rahul hit out in the 56th over and deposited Chase for a six over long-on, and brought up his hundred off 182 balls. His previous two hundreds were scored in 2015, coming against Australia (Sydney) and Sri Lanka (Colombo). In doing so, he notched up the highest score for an Indian opener playing his very first innings in the West Indies, beating Ajay Jadeja’s 97 (1996), Shikhar Dhawan’s 84 (2016) and Sunil Gavaskar’s 65 (1971).
At the other end, Pujara struck two boundaries to break the shackles and finally got his strike-rate going, as India went into the lunch break in consummate control of this match. Jason Holder (0-49) was the other bowler tried.