BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – Rahkeem Cornwall grabbed a five-wicket haul but Lokesh Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and captain Virat Kohli all got half-centuries as India got valuable batting practice ahead of next week’s first Test here yesterday.
Playing on the second day of the three-day tour match at Warner Park, the tourists were dismissed for 364 in their first innings, with Rahul stroking 64, Jadeja getting 56 and Kohli chipping in with 51.
Off-spinner Cornwall, who top-scored for the WICB President’s XI in their first innings on Thursday’s opening day, finished with five for 118 to be the best bowler.
The hosts then reached the close on 26 for one, losing captain Leon Johnson for 17 to the final ball of the day.
Johnson, already named in the 13-man West Indies squad for the Test series, is now searching for form after having scored three in the first innings and two in the first two-day tour game last week.
There were no such worries for Rahul and Kohli, however, as they safely navigated the opening session after India resumed the day on 93 for three.
The right-handed Rahul struck nine fours and a six in an innings lasting 127 balls and just under 3-1/4 hours while Kohli, also a right-hander, faced 94 deliveries in just over two hours at the crease and counted four fours.
Together, the pair put on 88 for the second wicket, taking India to lunch at 181 without further loss.
When Rahul retired at the break, India lost three quick wickets for 67 runs to decline to 254 for seven in the afternoon.
Kohli fell in the first over after lunch, missing a back-foot pull at Cornwall and going lbw while Stuart Binny batted just over half-hour for 16 before clipping a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton, also off Cornwall.
Ajinkya Rahane, who stroked five fours in scoring 32 off 77 balls, seemed set for a half-century but he pushed forward to one from Cornwall and was taken at leg slip by Johnson.
Jadeja then propped up the tail, putting on 44 for the eighth wicket with wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha who made 31 off 47 balls and a further 47 for the ninth wicket with Ravi Ashwin who scored 26.
All told, Jadeja faced 61 balls and struck six fours in nearly 1-1/2 hours at the crease.
He was Cornwall’s fifth wicket, caught and bowled off a leading edge as he tried to play through the on-side.
The first Test bowls off in Antigua next Thursday.
SCOREBOARD
PRESIDENT’S XI 1st Innings 180
INDIA 1st Innings
(overnight 93 for three)
M Vijay c wkp Hamilton b Holder 23
S Dhawan c Hope b Dawes 9
L Rahul ret. out 64
C Pujara b Cornwall 28
*V Kohli lbw b Cornwall 51
A Rahane c Johnson b Cornwall 32
S Binny c wkpr Hamilton b Cornwall 16
+W Saha run out 31
R Jadeja c and b Cornwall 56
R Ashwin run out 26
A Mishra not out 10
Extras (b8, lb2, w3, nb5) 18
TOTAL (all out, 105.4 overs) 364
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-34, 3-93, 4-181, 5-187, 6-231, 7-254, 8-298, 9-345, 10-364.
Bowling: Roach 17-4-51-0, Joseph 13-2-52-0, Holder 14-4-39-1, Dawes 13-1-47-1, Cornwall 31.4.3-118-5, Motie 17-5-47-0.
PRESIDENT’S XI 2nd innings
J Campbell not out 9
L Johnson c and b Ashwin 17
TOTAL (1 wkt, 8 overs) 26
Fall of wickets: 1-26.
Bowling: Mohammad Shami 4-0-12-0, Ashwin 4-1-14-1.
Position: President’s XI trail by 158 runs.
Toss: President’s XI.
Umpires: Gregory Brathwaite, Nigel Duguid.