India had won first Test by an innings and 92 runs at Antigua on July 24 and ther West Indies drew the second Test at Kingston in Jamaica on August 4.
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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. The 237-run victory allowed India to take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the series.
But except Darren Bravo’s 59 all other batsman failed to make any impact and West Indies settle down on the just 108. He was caught at deep mid-wicket by Bhuvneshwar Kumar off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling. With 98 overs to go on day five then, skipper Virat Kohli will be hoping to press for a win.
Earlier in the day, Rohit Sharma got out without adding a run to his overnight score of 41 runs.
# Kohli is averaging just 19.40 in six innings as number three batsman – his aggregate being 97 runs in six innings without a fifty.
“I played Test cricket after nearly one and a half years”.
With a flurry of in-swingers and out-swingers, Kumar had Blackwood caught in the second slip by Kohli in the 88th over for 20 in 86 balls and clean bowled Samuels in the 90th over for 48 in 107 balls, with seven boundaries and a six, the only one in the Windies’ first innings. However, West Indies lost Shane Dowrich (5), Jason Holder (1), Bravo and Alzarri Joseph (0) in a span of 11 runs to leave them reeling at 95 for nine.
But will he declare the second innings in the morning? India needed another near-perfect display with the ball. There was a sharp chance in the 62nd over off Jadeja, when the ball lobbed up and Rohit Sharma diving backwards at forward short leg only managed to get a hand to it.
Though Bravo and Marlon Samuels tried to defy the Indian bowling attack and added 29 runs for the third wicket partnership, the latter was first to go when his off-stump cart-wheeled by a beauty from Ishant Sharma. “But when I came to the ground and bowled the first ball everything felt normal”, he said.
West Indies quickly found themselves in trouble, losing both openers to slump to four runs for two wickets after five overs.
India finished day four at 157/3, and considering its first innings’ lead of 128 runs, it already has a sizeable total on the board. He was equally lavish in his praise for Wriddhiman Saha’s century.
Llong didn’t even bother to go upstairs to the third umpire and the keeper-batsman was given his marching orders.
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Bhuvneshwar’s last Test was in Australia in January a year ago, as he has been playing limited-overs cricket, but due to injury problems he has been in and out of the playing XI.
