West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite’s decision to put India in after winning the toss in the landmark 100th Test between the two teams certainly seemed inexplicable. Particularly as the slow Queen’s Park Oval pitch in Port of Spain offered barely any assistance to the bowlers.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal made the most of the batsman-friendly conditions and penetration-less Windies bowling to stitch a second consecutive century-plus stand, remaining unbeaten in the first session of this second and final Test.
However, the Windies produced a comparatively better showing with the ball in the post-lunch session as from 139/0, India had slipped to 182/4 at tea on Day I.
Jaiswal, who was dropped on 52 at the first slip off Jason Holder on the stroke of lunch, departed as he tried to drive an innocuous delivery of the latter and hit straight to the fielder at the gully region. A little later, India lost Shubman Gill and skipper Rohit in quick succession.
Gill, who fell early in the first Test as well, began with a couple of boundaries before being undone by one from Kemar Roach that held its shape and took a faint edge of the India No.3’s bat.
Rohit was solid right through and looked set for a back-to-back hundred. In spite of that, he couldn’t read a delivery from left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican that spun away just a little bit and rattled his off-stump.
It definitely was a well-directed delivery from Warrican and pitched on the right length too. But by no means was that an unplayable ball, particularly for a batsman batting on 80.
Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane tried to forge a partnership, till the India vice-captain chopped one on to his off-stump when Shannon Gabriel (replacing off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall) shaped it in just a bit in the last over before tea on Wednesday.
Mukesh debut
With seamer all-rounder Shardul Thakur out with a groin niggle, the team management handed Mukesh Kumar his international debut.
Consistent performances with the red ball in domestic cricket have been pivotal in bagging the Bengal pacer an India cap. Mukesh didn’t have to rely on the IPL in order to elevate himself to the India level.
