Rain plays spoilsport as India stretch lead past 300 runs at Sabina Park

Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane in action at Sabina Park on Monday. Image Source: WICB

Debasis Sen, Kingston(Jamaica) : India’s hopes of taking a 2-0 lead in the four match test series against West Indies was dealt a blow with rain playing spoilsport. The visitors are comfortably placed having already taken a lead of 304 runs. Indian captain Virat Kohli declared the Indian innings at the fall of 9th wicket with the score on 500/9.

Ajinkya Rahane was the man of the moment on Day 3 as he scored his seventh test century of his career. He remained not out on 108 runs when rain forced the umpires to stop the play.

Indian captain Virat Kohli’s declaration came at the fall of the ninth wicket, when Umesh Yadav miscued a swing at Chase for West Indies captain Jason Holder to take the catch at mid-wicket and give the 24-year-old innings figures of 5-121 off 36.1 overs in just his second test match.

Earlier, a solid partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha helped India extend their lead to 225 runs at lunch on Day 3 of the second test match here at Sabina Park. But heavy showers immediately after lunch stopped play with India on 456/6 after 162 overs. The Indians then had a lead of 260 runs with 4 wickets in hand.

Wriddhiman Saha and Rahane stitched a 98-run stand for the sixth wicket before Saha was adjudged leg before to Holder just at the stroke of lunch. India went into lunch on 425/6 adding another 67 runs in the morning session. Rahane was unbeaten on 74, while Saha fell for 47 runs at lunch.

Resuming on 358 for 5, Rahane and Saha started cautiously. Rahane, overnight 42, was typically composed and, capitalising on the prolonged defensive bowling by the hosts, brought up his eighth Test half-century, cutting a wide delivery from Miguel Cummins towards third-man. Soon, he unfurled a lovely cover-driven four off Shanon Gabriel, which brought up the fifty-run stand for the sixth wicket and had class written all over it.

Saha survived a loud shout for leg before in sixth over of the day. The keeper regrouped himself and played an able foil for Rahane, knocking away the singles and punishing the loose deliveries. One thought the pair will go into lunch undefeated, but the West Indies captain struck at the stroke of lunch trapping Saha in front to bag his first wicket of the series.

With thunderstorms predicted for the remaining days of the Test, India will perhaps try and speed up their batting approach in the next session if they are to stick West Indies in in a bid to obtain a result in this game.

In a session twice interrupted by rain, Chase dismissed Amit Mishra and Mohammed Shami off successive balls. Yadav prevented the hat-trick, but with Rahane continuing to play cautiously, the tailender heaved four boundaries in an innings of 19 before another attempted big hit gave the bowler his fifth victim and prompted the declaration.

Rahane’s unbeaten 108 occupied just over five hours in which he faced 237 balls, striking 13 fours and three sixes.