Ashwin removes Brathwaite however West Indies preserve the combat going
Tea West Indies 174 for 3 (Brathwaite 75, Blackwood 16*, Athanaze 13*, Jadeja 1-19) path India 438 by 264 runs
India’s assault toiled away on a placid Port-of-Spain pitch, taking simply two wickets in two classes on a rain-interrupted third day. In reply to India’s 438, West Indies had been 174 for 3 in 86 overs at tea, with Jermaine Blackwood on 16 and Alick Athanaze on 13.
India’s debutant Mukesh Kumar first snagged West Indies’ debutant Kirk McKenzie for 32 off 57 balls earlier than rain compelled an early lunch. R Ashwin then breached the sturdy defences of Kraigg Brathwaite in a 15-over shift publish lunch. Ashwin took the pitch out of the equation and bowled Brathwaite via the gate with a pleasant cocktail of loop, drift and switch.
Brathwaite had regarded immovable till Ashwin dislodged him for 75 off 235 balls. Ashwin, nevertheless, had been constructing as much as this dismissal in a marathon spell by scrambling Brathwaite’s judgment with drift particularly. He lastly broke Brathwaite’s resistance in his twenty sixth over. Ravindra Jadeja, too, utilized strain on West Indies’ batters from the opposite finish, however India couldn’t make any additional inroads.
After beginning the day on 37, Brathwaite obtained to his twenty ninth half-century – his second slowest in Test cricket. He tiptoed to the landmark off 170 balls. His slowest fifty had come off 174 balls towards Bangladesh in North Sound last year.
Brathwaite is as old-fashioned as one can get as of late. He has performed almost 200 first-class matches however is but to function in an official T20. When Mukesh hung up the ball outdoors off, Brathwaite refused to catch the bait. Then when Mukesh straightened his traces and focused the stumps, with twin quick midwickets and a brief sq. leg in place, Brathwaite defended stoutly. He additionally dead-batted Mohammed Siraj and the spinners earlier than Ashwin whipped up his magic.
Blackwood, who often likes bat on ball, additionally confirmed nice restraint and prolonged West Indies’ combat into the ultimate session. Athanaze, although, batted with extra freedom, selecting Ashwin away for back-to-back fours.
McKenzie had performed extra eye-catching strokes on the third morning earlier than rain intervened, forcing a truncated session. He punched Jaydev Unadkat for consecutive fours, which could have performed his hero and fellow Jamaican Chris Gayle proud. It compelled Unadkat to dig the ball into the pitch, however McKenzie was prepared on the again foot to tug him for 4 extra. Mukesh then had McKenzie wafting behind for 32 off 57 balls for his first Test and a hundred and fiftieth first-class wicket.
It was simply reward for Mukesh for having plugged away on size outdoors off. Perhaps, this was the explanation why India had picked him forward of Navdeep Saini after Shardul Thakur had been sidelined from this Test with a groin niggle. Mukesh might have an even bigger function to play as soon as India take the second new ball.