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.
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India had not won or drawn a series outside the sub-continent since defeating West Indies in the Caribbean in 2011. We have always aimed to win series’ away from India.
Only Darren Bravo with 59 displayed any form of meaningful resistance with the visitors’ potent mix of pace and spin proving too much for the Caribbean batsmen technically and temperamentally ill-equipped to cope with the challenge.
His move to No 6 has brought rich dividends for the team, and the amount of responsibility he has shouldered means that playing five bowlers is easy for Virat Kohli.
Earlier, resuming the innings from the overnight score of 157/3 in 39 overs on a sunny but humid day, India lost four wickets for just 60 runs in nine overs to an attacking bowling, especially by Cummins.
India bowled 20 overs before lunch and had reduced West Indies to 53 for 3.
It allowed Bravo enough breathing space to complete his 15th Test fifty off 73 balls, but it was never going to be enough.
Bhuvneshwar followed up that brace by claiming the wickets of Shane Dowrich (18), Jason Holder (2) and Alzarri Joseph, who was out for a duck, giving India a healthy first-innings lead of 128. Kumar said it’s hard to say he will get the swing.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (C) celebrates with Ajinkya Rahane (R) of India taking 5 West Indies wickets for 33 runs during day 4 of the 3rd Test between West Indies and India on August 12, 2016 at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium Gros Islet, St. Lucia.
India on Saturday clinched the four-Test series 2-0 by winning the third Test by 237 runs despite losing an entire day’s play due to poor weather conditions.
In return West Indies got off to a good start with Kraig Brathwaite and Leon Johnson adding 59 runs for the first wicket.
He played an uncharacteristic stroke to an incoming delivery and was bowled.
Brief scores: India 353 (first innings) and 157/3 in second innings in 39 overs.
Llong didn’t even bother to go upstairs to the third umpire and the keeper-batsman was given his marching orders. Although the reason behind that was unknown, this sledging was caught on camera and is going viral. “Here also we played two good days of Test cricket, then lost day 3, but again on day 4 bowlers came back and executed what we wanted to”, said Kohli after the day’s play.
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