Thaindian News

Bridgetown (Barbados), June 5 (IANS/CMC) India A have a tense day ahead, having lost three wickets for 22 runs in the last hour on third day of the four-day first cricket “Test”, chasing 186 runs to beat West Indies A here.

India’s most unlikely bowling hero Monday was part-time off-spinner Rohit Sharma, who returned his best figures in first-class cricket, four for 41 in 16.3 overs, after medium-pacer Bhuvanesh Kumar produced a superb six-over spell of reverse swing to take three wickets.

West Indies, looking healthy at 134for two, were dismissed for 210 in their second innings. They were bowled out for252 in the first innings and India replied with 277 to take a slender 25-run lead, reports Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

West Indies came alive in a spectacular fashion as Jason Holder and Delorn Johnson bowled with pace, extracting sideways movement, to snatch three quick wickets to set-up up an enthralling final day Tuesday.

India lost wickets on a good batting surface and will enter the final day at Kensington Oval needing another 164runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Holder, the six-foot-seven-inch pacer, claimed two for 12 off five overs while Johnson, the six-foot-five-inch left-armer, steamed to end the day with one for nine off five overs.

Holder produced a superb out-swinger to dismiss Abhinav Mukund for his second duck of the match, caught by third-slip Jonathan Carter. In the next over, he uprooted the off stump of Ajinkya Rahaneas the batsman offered no stroke.

Johnson then went around the wicket and produced an almost unplayable out-swinger which night-watchman Rahul Sharma edged to second slip for Nkrumah Bonner to come up with a good, low catch to his left.

Captain Cheteshwar Pujara is yet to score and survived a torrid 21 minutes when he was twice struck on the hand by lifting deliveries from Johnson. The other not out batsman is attacking left-hander Shikhar Dhawan on 13.

West Indies, resuming at three for no loss, collapsed in the afternoon session when they lost eight wickets for 86runs in two hours after looking like setting a stiffer target for the Indians.

Six West Indies bats men were out leg-before and the other four bowled.

Rohit, an occasional off-spinner with just 10 first-class wickets before the match, out-bowled the more heralded leg-spinner Rahul Sharma, who managed just one wicket for 67 runs.

Rohit was accurate and got the ball to turn, but he was helped by some uncertain footwork from the timid Windies lower-order. Two of his wickets were bowled - Jason Holder (15) dragged on an attempted cut and first innings top-scorer Veerasammy Permaul (4) missed an ill-advised pull.

Rohits’s other two victims were trapped leg-before wicket - Devendra Bishoo (4) and Delorn Johnson (1), both pushing forward without conviction.

Rohit came on after fast bowler Bhuvneshwar took three wickets for nine runs in a sustained spell of fast bowling. He ended with three for 44 off14 overs.

West Indies got an ideal platform from openers Lendl Simmons and Kraigg Brathwaite who hit contrasting half-centuries in an opening stand of 68.

Simmons, who during the day was picked in the West Indies One-Day squad for England, top-scored with a blazing53 with five fours and two sixes off just 66 balls.

He dominated the opening stand with the patient Brathwaite, as the West Indies added 90 runs in the morning session.

Simmons launched a brutal attack on Rahul Sharma with a six over long-on, a cut for four and a straight six in the leg-spinner’s first over of the day.

He fell soon after, trapped leg-before playing back to fast bowler Shami Ahmed.

Rahul then got another breakthrough as Donovan Pagon was also leg-before for a three-ball ‘duck’.

The 19-year-old Brathwaite, fighting to regain a place in the West Indies Test side to face New Zealand next month,made a defiant 50 which came in four hours off 166 balls and included four boundaries.

He added 65 for the third wicket with Bonner (36) but after the stand was broken by Kumar at 134 for three, the innings went into rapid decline.

Brief Scores:

West Indies A 252 all out (Veerasammy Permaul 66, Devon Thomas 57,Jonathan Carter 35, Nkrumah Bonner 25; Shami Ahmed 3-43, Rahul Sharma 3-73) and210 (Lendl Simmons 53, Kraigg Brathwaite 50, Nkrumah Bonner 36, Devon Thomas22; Rohit Sharma 4-41, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-44)

India A 277 (Rohit Sharma 94, Cheteshwar Pujara 50, Manoj Tiwary40; Jonathan Carter 5-63, Delorn Johnson 3-39) and 22 for three (Jason Holder2-12)

–IANS/CMC
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