ROSEAU: India’s opening pair of captain Rohit Sharma and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal batted through a leisurely morning session and were closing in on the paltry West Indies total of 150 at lunch on the second day of the first Test in Dominica on Thursday.

Resuming at the overnight position of 80 without loss, the duo added another 66 runs to reach the break at 146 without loss. Sharma was on 68 with Jaiswal on 62.

Jaiswal was first to fifty, pulling a short ball from first-change bowler Alzarri Joseph to the midwicket boundary after 40 minutes’ play. However he was troubled by the appreciable turn being extracted by recalled off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall yet managed to survive.

Sharma overtook his new partner during the second hour of the session, the best of his scoring shots being a flick off the legs for six over midwicket off Joseph.

Routed by the Indian spin tandem of Ravichandran Ashwin (5-60) and Ravindra Jadeja (3-26) on day one, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite even tried himself and debutant batsman Alick Athanaze in hope of a breakthrough from their part-time spin offerings after Cornwall and the other first-choice spinner, Jomel Warrican, could not separate the pair.

Ashwin’s five-wicket haul highlighted a dominant first day for India. Omitted for the World Test Championship final against Australia a month earlier, the 36-year-old spinner left Brathwaite regretting the decision to bat first on winning the toss.

Ashwin got excellent support from Jadeja with the only resistance of note coming from Atha­naze, who at least gave the home fans something to smile about as the 24-year-old left-handed Dominican stroked his way to 47 before being eighth out just before the tea interval.

Jaiswal then joined Rohit Sharma against a varied bowling attack which hardly threatened.

“There was a bit of moi­sture on the pitch early on but it started to turn a bit more as the day went on, even though it was quite slow,” Ashwin observed in reflecting on his effort, his 33rd five-wicket innings haul in Tests.

“International cricket is all about adapting, trying to seek excellence and trying to improve all the time.”

Ashwin was brought into action after just 40 minutes’ play with India’s opening bowlers appearing frustrated on a pitch offering very little assistance.

He responded immediately by bowling Tagenarine Chanderpaul and then forcing Brathwaite into an ugly miscue which effectively set the tone for an abysmal batting effort by the home side.

Athanaze impressed with his composure and shot-making but with wickets tumbling around him, he fell just short of the half-century mark, an attempted pull off Ashwin presenting a simple skied catch to Shardul Thakur at mid-on.

He featured in the only meaningful partnership of the innings, 41 for the sixth wicket with Jason Holder before Mohammed Siraj induced the former captain into a pull for Thakur to take the catch at deep square-leg.

SCOREBOARD

WEST INDIES (1st Innings):

K. Brathwaite c Sharma b Ashwin20

T. Chanderpaul b Ashwin12

R. Reifer c Kishan b Thakur2

J. Blackwood c Siraj b Jadeja14

A. Athanaze c Thakur b Ashwin47

J. Da Silva c Kishan b Jadeja2

J. Holder c Thakur b Siraj18

A. Joseph c Unadkat b Ashwin4

R. Cornwall not out19

K. Roach lbw b Jadeja1

J. Warrican c Gill b Ashwin1

EXTRAS (B-2, LB-5, NB-2, W-1)10

TOTAL (all out, 64.3 overs)150

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-31 (Chander­paul), 2-38 (Brathwaite), 3-47 (Reifer), 4-68 (Blackwood), 5-76 (Da Silva), 6-117 (Holder), 7-124 (Joseph), 8-129 (Athanaze), 9-147 (Roach)

BOWLING: Siraj 12-2-25-1 (1w), Unadkat 7-2-17-0 (1nb), Ashwin 24.3-6-60-5, Thakur 7-3-15-1 (1nb), Jadeja 14-7-26-3

INDIA (1st Innings, overnight 80-0):

Y. Jaiswal not out62

R. Sharma not out68

EXTRAS (B-6, LB-5, W-5)16

TOTAL (for no wicket, 55 overs)146

STILL TO BAT: S. Gill, V. Kohli, A. Rahane, R. Jadeja, I. Kishan, R. Ashwin, S. Thakur, J. Unadkat, M. Siraj

BOWLING: Roach 8-1-15-0, Joseph 8-1-42-0 (1w), R. Cornwall 11-3-22-0, J. Warrican 14-2-34-0, J. Holder 9-4-13-0, K. Brathwaite 4-0-7-0, Athanaze 1-0-2-0

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2023