Kingston: Sitting comfortably with a 304-run lead, India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said the plans of batting just once during the match seems to have worked for the team.
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Rajendra Chandrika (one) was the first to go when he was bowled by Ishant Sharma, the ball striking the batsman’s elbow and deflecting on to the stumps.
An unbeaten century from Roston Chase helped West Indies reach 319-6 at tea and move closer to an unlikely draw against India on the final day of the second test on Wednesday.
# Since December 2013 vs South Africa, Rahane has posted an innings of 90-plus in eight consecutive Test series to become the only Indian player to accomplish the feat in each of his last eight Test series.
“I think he feels a lot stronger now and his rhythm has been good”. After that Shane Dowrich (74) and Jason Holder (64) ensured that Indian batsmen do not get through West Indies batsmen’s defence.
Their performances will give Caribbean cricket fans hope that their team has a future in the five-day format.
West Indies were hurtling towards another heavy defeat when they lost four quick wickets on day four of the second Test against India in Jamaica on Tuesday.
Chase, who bagged a five-wicket haul in India’s first innings total of 500-9 declared, looked both assured and industrious in his knock and received an able support from Dowrich.
The game lost 100 overs to rain, but the West Indies were facing a massive defeat when they resumed on day five on 48 for 4, having lost the bulk of their top order in less than sixteen overs the previous day.
Chase’s fighting ton and half centuries from Shane Dowrich (74) and captain Jason Holder (64 not out) helped West Indies draw the contest which they had nearly lost. “When I was on 95, I thought we should just play normal cricket and once I for my hundred I thought of playing some shots”, he said. Virat Kohli even tried to use verbal tactics to push Chase out of his comfort zone, but all of it fell on deaf ears. “It was testing day”.
“We asked the guys to show fight at the beginning of the day and we got a really good partnership there with Jermaine and Roston”.
“You can’t really look at the forecast and take decisions”, said the coach.
India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, man of the match in the first test, had a particularly tough day as he finished with 1-114 from 30 overs of off-spin.
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The West Indies bowlers stuck to their task well, keeping the India batsmen subdued for long periods.
