Thaindian News

New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The West Indies put India on the backfoot as they took a vital 95-run first-innings lead and while stretching it to 116 by stumps on the second day Monday they lost both the openers on a riveting day’s play during which 17 wickets fell in the first cricket Test at the Ferozeshah Kotla here.

After a rollicking 89-run start by openers Gautam Gambhir (41) and Virender Sehwag (55), India suffered a sudden collapse losing the top four wickets in quick succession in the space of 31 runs on the second day. It was left to Rahul Dravid to take them to 209 with a fighting 54.

Earlier, resuming at 256 for five, the visitors lost their last five wickets for the addition of 48 runs in 81 minutes, to be all out for 304. Left-arm Pragyan Ojha returned with his first fifer in Tests (six for 72) and debutant Ravichandran Ashwin got three wickets.

Ojha and Ashwin struck again as West Indies ended the second day at 21 for two in the second innings. Kirk Edwards (15) and nightwatchman Fidel Edwards (0) will resume the innings on the morrow. Both the openers were dismissed, Kraigg Brathwaite (2) falling leg-before to Ojha and Kieran Powell (0) to Ashwin as Dhoni went through with 14 overs of spin with the new ball.

Indian batsmen paid dearly for their poor shot selection. West Indian bowlers didn’t try too many things and just waited for the Indians to commit mistakes. West Indies skipper Darren Sammy picked up three for 35 while leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and pacer Ravi Rampaul got two wickets each.

Openers Gautam Gambhir (41) and Virender Sehwag (55) gave India a strong start as the hosts raced to 39 for no loss in five overs at lunch. Gambhir survived a dropped chance off pacer Fidel Edwards while Sehwag was lucky to be bowled off a no-ball. But the duo showed no signs of stopping against the West Indies pace attack.

They cleverly used Edward’s pace to time their boundaries, but Ravi Rampaul bowled a tight line from the other end. It was almost against the run of the play that West Indies got the breakthrough. A Sehwag straight drive disturbed the stumps at the non-striker’s end, kissing bowler Sammy’s fingers on the way with Gambhir out of his crease backing up. The wicket triggered the top-order collapse.

A brilliant piece of work behind the stumps by Carlton Baugh ended Sehwag’s 46-ball, nine-fours knock. The wicketkeeper whipped off the bails as an over balanced Sehwag lifted his left foot for a fraction of second. It was a wicket for the technology.

The crowd, looking forward to Tendulkar’s 100th international ton, went silent as the maestro missed a fullish delivery from Edwards in the 21st over and was plumb in front. Eight balls later, V.V.S. Laxman (1) lazily pushed at one from leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo that kept a shade low and the snick was well gathered by Carlton Baugh.

Sammy, who was punished by Sehwag, came back strongly in his second spell and struck twice in the first over to get rid of Yuvraj Singh (23) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Coming back from an injury, Yuvraj was in good touch and hit leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for two classy sixes. Yuvraj’s flashy innings came to an end as he attempted a half-hearted drive off Sammy and was caught at covers and three balls later Dhoni went back bowled without troubling the scorers.

Earlier in the day, Ojha, making a comeback in the Test team after a year, struck in his first over of the day trapping overnight batsman Baugh (27) leg-before as the keeper missed a sweep and in the next over the Hyderabad spinner got rid of West Indies captain Darren Sammy (5).

In the following over, Ishant Sharma removed centurion Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who could add just seven runs to his overnight score of 111, leg-before, but TV replays seemed to suggest that the ball was angling down.

Rampaul (12) and Edwards (10) added 23 runs for the ninth wicket and that helped West Indies cross the 300-run-mark.

(Abhishek Roy can be contacted at abhishek.roy@ians.in)