by Elton Gomes
After dominating with the bat for five sessions, Indian bowlers caused havoc within an inexperienced Windies batting line-up as the visitors ended Day 2 of the first Test at 94/6.
The Windies batsmen seemed clueless against the Indian bowlers. West Indies lost wickets at regular intervals on the second day of the first Test. After India declared their first innings on a mammoth 649-9 at tea, the Windies got off to a worst possible start, and lost both their openers inside the first five overs.
Mohammed Shami managed to dismiss skipper Kraigg Brathwaite (2) and Kieran Powell (1) in his successive overs. After Shami’s opening attack, Indian spinners took charge and decimated the Windies middle-order. Shimron Hetmyer (10), Sunil Ambris (12) and Shane Dowrich (10) lost their wickets cheaply, and West Indies were 74 for six. Roston Chase (27) and Keemo Paul (13) were at the centre when the umpires decided to end play for the day.
Spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav bagged a wicket each.
India begin on a strong note
India were looking confident at the start of Day 2, with Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant at the crease. After 97 overs, India were 401/4 with both Kohli and Pant looking well placed to reach their century and half-century, respectively.
Kohli and Pant add 103 runs on the board, but Pant ended up giving a catch at backward point and missed his century. After that, Kohli along with Ravindra Jadeja seemed formidable against a hapless West Indian attack, and India were looking comfortable on day 2 of the first test.
After Prithvi Shaw’s phenomenal ton on his test debut on day one, skipper Virat Kohli (139) and Ravindra Jadeja (100 not out) guided India to a mammoth 649 for nine in their first innings before declaring at tea.
In the bowling department, Shami conceded just five runs and removed acting captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell, which left the Windies at 7/2 in the fifth over. The West Indies were badly missing captain Jason Holder and senior pacer Kemar Roach.
By tea, Jadeja had struck an unbeaten 100 off 132 balls to be the third centurion for Indian. His effort came after Kohli completed his 24th Test hundred at the start of play. It was a maiden Test ton for Jadeja, who had to wait for almost six years to score a century in the five-day format.
“I am really happy to get a hundred after 9 years of international cricket. In the past getting to 70-80s, I used to think about the century and then miss out on that. In the past I have scored 300 in domestic cricket too so I knew I could score a ton,” Jadeja said after scoring a century, News 18 reported.
Elton Gomes is a staff writer at Qrius