Mohammed Shami’s bowling spell was the most economical (1.36) as he got three wickets for 15 runs in 11 overs, two of which were maiden.
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India’s players celebrates the dismissal of New Zealan’s Peter Fulton during day one of the second global test cricket match at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, February 14, 2014. This massive victory sealed the 4-match series in favour of India by 2-0 margin.
Only Darren Bravo was able to put up resistance, scoring 59, as West Indies were all out in their second innings for 108 off 47.3 overs.
BCCI President Anurag Thakur praised the Indian team, skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Anil Kumble for the country’s rare Test series victory in the Caribbeans in the longest format of the game.
West Indies were set the improbable target of 346 to win at the Darren Sammy National Stadium after the Indians declared their second innings at 217 for seven 40 minutes into the day s play.
West Indies seemed resigned to another day of generally fruitless toil as Ashwin and Saha, who came together just before tea on day one with India struggling at 126 for five, pushed their sixth-wicket stand beyond the 200-run mark after lunch, reaching hundreds along the way.
It resulted in a double success in the space of four balls, as Shami had Leon Johnson (0) caught at forward short leg, with Rohit Sharma completing a good anticipatory catch in the fourth over.
Indian bowlers Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Ravi Ashwin had bowled brilliantly to cut down West Indies score to 108 all-out and Ravi Chandran Ashwin was awarded as the man of the match. Ishant Sharma bettered the ball he had bowled to Marlon Samuels in the morning, and ended Roston Chase’s stay at the crease. Both started defending the ball and were playing cautiously.
Chase was undone by an inswinger from Ishant that went through his defences, Blackwood was smartly stumped by Wriddhiman Saha off Ravindra Jadeja, while Dowrich edged Shami to second slip.
While the former tied down the batsmen with some tight swing, the latter used pace to force them back.
Samuels (39 not out) and Blackwood (20 not out) will resume in the afternoon seeking to extend a fourth-wicket partnership already worth 59 runs.
His opening partner, Kraigg Brathwaite, fell in the very next over as an inswinger from first innings destroyer Bhuvneshwar Kumar trapped him leg-before for four. “But when I came to the ground and bowled the first ball everything felt normal”, he said.
India had a first-innings lead of 128 runs. This would give Virat Kohli’s bowlers some time to have a go at the Windies team in the remaining sessions.
Earlier in the day, Rohit Sharma got out without adding a run to his overnight score of 41 runs.
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