NORTH SOUND: India’s push for victory on the fourth day of the first Test against the West Indies has been interrupted by rain with the home side at 76 for two following-on in their second innings, a deficit of 247 runs, when an early lunch was taken on Sunday.

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav claimed the important wicket of Darren Bravo within minutes of the start of play but Marlon Samuels was making the most of a narrow escape.

He struck nine fluent boundaries in an unbeaten 39 in partnership with doughty opening batsman Rajendra Chandrika (22 not out off 84 balls), when showers swept across the ground to force the interval half-an-hour ahead of schedule.

This is already Samuels’ highest Test score since getting to 74 against Australia 11 innings previously in Dominica just over a year ago.

However the Indians, both the players on the field and the technical staff off it, were clearly aggrieved that the experienced right-hander was not ruled caught behind off Mohammed Shami when on 16.

Television replays, while confirming an inside-edge off the fast medium-bowler, seemed to suggest that the ball may have bounced onto the turf just before going into the gloves of wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha.

It was deemed to be doubtful enough for TV umpire Gregory Brathwaite to advise the presiding on-field official Ian Gould to rule ‘not out’.

As if liberated by the reprieve, Samuels proceeded to unfurl a succession of superb off-drives for boundaries, offering a glimpse of the sumptuous form that has been otherwise restricted to the shorter formats of the game over the past 12 months.

He had come to the crease when Bravo fell in a manner that has become commonplace for the elegant left-hander.

Caught at the wicket fending at a delivery outside the off-stump from Shami in the first innings the day before, this time he offered a sharp low catch to Ajinkya Rahane at gully which gave Yadav his first wicket of the innings and fifth of the match.

Samuels has dominated the 55-run third-wicket partnership with Chandrika as the opener, who has yet to convince sceptics that he is of Test calibre in the early stages of his international career, seemed content merely to survive the persistent and probing bowling of India’s seamers and frontline spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the curtailed morning session.

On Saturday’s third day, West Indies crumbled against Shami and Yadav, who each took four wickets t dismiss the hosts for 243 in the final session of the day with half-centuries by opener Kraigg Brathwaite and wicket-keeper/batsman Shane Dowrich representing the only meaningful resistance.

Brathwaite, who defied India’s array of pace and spin for almost five hours in getting to 74, could not survive the first over of the second turn at the crease, being trapped palpably leg-before by Ishant Sharma.

They were held up though at the start of play as Braithwaite and nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo frustrated India for 75 minutes until leg-spinner Amit Mishra had Bishoo stumped by Saha.

It was second of six dismissals for Saha in the innings, putting him alongside Syed Kirmani and Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the most dismissals by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test innings.

Dowrich counter-attacked superbly in getting to an unbeaten 57 with ten fours by the time the innings folded, Yadav dispensing with Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite off successive balls before Mishra completed the job by bowling a heaving Shannon Gabriel.

Scoreboard

INDIA (1st Innings) 566-8 declared

(V. Kohli 200, R. Ashwin 113, S. Dhawan 84, A. Mishra 53, W.P. Saha 40; K.C. Brathwaite 3-65, D. Bishoo 3-163).

WEST INDIES (1st Innings):

K.C. Brathwaite c Saha b Yadav 74 R. Chandrika c Saha b Shami 16 D. Bishoo st Saha b Mishra 12 D.M. Bravo c Saha b Shami 11 M.N. Samuels c Saha b Shami 1 J. Blackwood c Rahane b Shami 0 R.L. Chase c Kohli b Yadav 23 S.O. Dowrich not out 57 J.O. Holder c Saha b Yadav 36 C.R. Brathwaite b Yadav 0 S.T. Gabriel b Mishra 2

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-2, W-2, NB-3) 11

TOTAL (all out, 90.2 overs) 243

FALL OF WKTS: 1-30, 2-68, 3-90, 4-92, 5-92, 6-139, 7-144, 8-213, 9-213.

BOWLING: Sharma 20-7-44-0 (3nb); Yadav 18-8-41-4; Mohammed Shami 20-4-66-4 (2w); Ashwin 17-5-43-0; Mishra 15.2-4-43-2.

WEST INDIES (2nd Innings, overnight 21-1):

K.C. Brathwaite lbw b Sharma 2 R Chandrika not out 22 D.M. Bravo c Rahane b Yadav 10 M.N. Samuels not out 39

EXTRAS (NB-3) 3

TOTAL (for two wkts, 30 overs) 76

FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-21.

BOWLING (to-date): Sharma 9-2-17-1 (3nb); Mohammed Shami 7-3-20-0; Yadav 9-4-19-1; Ashwin 5-2-20-0.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2016