Post-tea, Ashwin and Saha looked to get things going again, and build a partnership that could dig India out of a huge hole. West Indies attack though nothing exceptional, was more disciplined and ambitious than the earlier two tests.
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Cummins finished with three for 54 while debutant 19-year-old speedster Alzarri Joseph picked up three for 69. He joined a select group of players – Richie Benaud (vs South Africa in 1957-58), Tony Greig (vs West Indies in 1973-74) and Ian Botham (vs Australia in 1981) – to take multiple five-wicket hauls and score multiple hundreds in the same Test series.
There was more goal to their attack, after putting India in, than in the first two Tests.
Their unbeaten sixth-wicket partnership of 108 occupied nearly 41 overs and rescued the tourists from the considerable discomfort of 126 for five just before tea with West Indies’ second Test hero Roston Chase and debutant fast bowler Alzarri Joseph taking two wickets each to vindicate their captain’s decision to bowl first on winning the toss.
It was the first time the West Indies’ openers had crossed this mark in the Test series so far.
India made three changes from the Jamaica Test, bringing in Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for Cheteshwar Pujara, Amit Mishra and Umesh Yadav, respectively. For once in the series, the opening bowlers exploited the conditions and had India on the back foot for the entire morning session.
The spinal cord of the Indian batting lineup Virat Kohli was dismissed at a score of three by a magical ball delivered by Azari Joseph, and it triggered the fall of Indian card palace.
India (1st innings, o/n 234/5): K.L. Rahul c Brathwaite b Chase 50, S Dhawan c Dowrich b Gabriel 1, V Kohli c Bravo b Joseph 3, AM Rahane b Chase 35, RG Sharma c Dowrich b Joseph 9, R. Ashwin (batting) 99, WP Saha (batting) 93.
For the hosts, Joseph bagged his first Test wicket when Darren Bravo caught the Indian captain at first slip in his second over and sixth of the innings. Saha?s partnership with Ashwin was worth 213 runs, a new Indian record for the wicket in Tests against the West Indies.
But it seemed the pitch had calmed down a bit since day one as there was not much bite in the West Indies’ bowling this second morning.
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West Indies’ Shannon Gabriel looks down after bowling a delivery to India’s batsman Wriddhiman Saha, left, during day two of their third cricket Test match at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, St. Lucia, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016.
