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India: 52.5 overs and out
The first ball of the Indian innings took outside edge of Gautam Gambhir’s bat and fell tantalisingly short of Kirk Edwards in third slip, thanks to the lack of bounce in the pitch. Gambhir then flicked and drove with great style to collect three boundaries before edging the last ball of the over which again dropped just short of third slip.
The first over, which was full of runs and disappointments (for West Indies) due to missed chances, mirrored the 75-ball long span of Virender Sehwag (55) and Gambir’s (41) stay at the crease. The 89-run opening stand saw a flurry of boundaries and several chances (edges falling short of slip fielders, close LBW appeal being declined and wicket off a no-ball).
Then, suddenly, lady luck changed sides.
The formidable Indian batting line-up collapsed like a house of cards scoring just 209 runs in 52.5 overs at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here on Monday to concede a crucial 95-run lead.
More than the bowling, an about turn of luck and slow and low pitch did the unexpected for the hosts. India were going at over seven runs per over when Sehwag played a straight drive and the ball crashed into the stumps at the other end after kissing Darren Sammy’s fingers catching Gambhir well short of the crease.
The fall of Gambhir heralded the great Indian collapse. After losing the first wicket at 89, the hosts were reduced to 154 for seven before Rahul Dravid (54) and Ishant Sharma came up with a 49-run stand to take India past 200.
Sehwag paid the price of being a little reckless. He went deep inside the crease and tried to work the ball behind the wicket and missed but he unknowingly raised his backfoot to balance himself and Carlton Baugh whipped off the bails. He did a similar thing with VVS Laxman during the third Test at Dominica earlier this year.
Sachin disappoints
There was a huge uproar when Sachin Tendulkar walked in to bat. All eyes were on him. People were eagerly expecting his 100th century. He started his innings cautiously, showed no signs of nervousness, chose his shots carefully but all went in vain when he got out after scoring only seven runs.
WI captain Sammy’s decision to bring Fidel Edwards back into the attack could not be timelier. In the second spell, the pacer’s luck favoured him and he broke millions of hearts when his incoming delivery hit Sachin on pads right in front of the wickets. Sachin is playing his first match since returning from England after his toe injury flared up more than two months back.
Theen, Laxman fell cheaply as he a chased wide delivery from leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and edged it to Baugh.
Sammy’s incisive spell
The Windies captain undergoes strict scrutiny whenever he plays. But, he must be hoping that his performance on Monday might dissipate the criticism and remove the question mark over his place in the team.
He was the wrecker-in-chief for India as he accounted for three wickets in 11 deliveries to help his team seize the initiative after Bishoo (55 for 2) made forays into the Indian batting line up by claiming two important wickets.
First he made Yuvraj Singh (23), who is making a come back in the team after injury, drive straight into the hands of the fielder at covers and then dismissed MS Dhoni and R Ashwin without allowing them to open their accounts.
After a defiant batting display on the first day, West Indies batting collapsed within 82 minutes on the second day after adding 48 runs at the cost five wickets.
The Monday show unfolded in a similar fashion as it did on Sunday. Overnight batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Carlton Baugh saw off the seamers without much difficulty like their openers did before their biggest nemesis Pragyan Ojha re-initiated the process of sending the visiting batsmen to the pavilion.
Like Sunday, Dhoni introduced Ojha early (after seven overs) and the Hyderabadi was on target from the word go. He dismissed Baugh with the last ball of his first over and then on the third ball of his next over claimed Darren Sammy to expose the Windies tail.
After toiling hard for 23 overs, Ishant Sharma got his first and only success when he struck Chanderpaul (118) on the pads.
Off-spinner Ashwin added one more to his name when he dismissed Rampaul, the fourth LBW dismissal of the morning, before Ojha had Edwards caught by Sehwag at point to accrue his career best figures of six for 72 in an innings to wrap up the Caribbeans.
Spinners with new ball
After getting a lead of 95 runs in the first innings, West Indies did not have a good start in the second. Considering the nature of pitch and oppositions’ struggle against spin bowling, Indian captain handed the new ball to his spinners.
The ploy worked well as Ashwin dismissed Kieran Powell in the second over. Ojha also chipped in with a wicket of another opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who scored only two runs of 41 balls.
In all, 17 wickets fell on Monday. West Indies lead by 116 with eight wickets remaining, but considering the unpredictable nature of the pitch both teams stand on the equal footings after two days.
Brief Scores
India: 1st Innings 209 ((Virender Sehwag 55, Rahul Dravid 54, Darren Sammy 3 for 35, Devendra Bishoo 2 for 55) all out trail
West Indies: 304 and 21 for 2 in 14 overs (Kirk Edwards 15 batting, R Ashwin 1 for 8).
