GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – Another dramatic batting collapse, coupled with positive batting from India, left West Indies facing an anxious day on Saturday, to avoid defeat in the third Test at the Darren Sammy National Stadium.
Well poised at 202 for three just after lunch on Friday’s penultimate day, West Indies shockingly lost their last seven wickets for 23 runs in quick time to plunge to 225 all out.
They were undermined by the superb Bhuvneshwar Kumar who produced a brilliant spell with the second new ball to claim five for 33.
Opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who started the day on 53, made 64 while Marlon Samuels chipped in with 48, Darren Bravo, 29, and Jermaine Blackwood, 20.
In their second turn at the crease, India raced to 157 for three – already a lead of 285 runs heading into the final day.
The enterprising Ajinkya Rahane carved out an attractive, unbeaten 51 off 93 balls with a single four while Rohit Sharma was not out on 41 off 557 deliveries with a four and three sixes, in an unbroken fourth wicket stand so far worth 85.
They were brought together after seamer Miguel Cummins struck twice in quick succession after tea to help reduce the Indians from 49 without loss to 72 for three.
KL Rahul struck a breezy 28 from 24 balls with three fours before edging one that seamed away from Cummins to Brathwaite at second slip, in the third over after the interval.
Four overs later, Cummins claimed the prized wicket of captain Virat Kohli, lbw for four with one that came back and found the right-hander playing down the wrong line.
Off-spinner Roston Chase further set the Indians back when he trapped opener Shikhar Dhawan lbw for 26 to a full length delivery.
However, any hopes on pinning down India were quickly dashed as Rahane and Rohit capitalized on tame tactics from the West Indies – spinners Chase and Brathwaite sent down 21 overs between them – to push the scoring on.
Earlier, West Indies seemed set to extend their batting form from the Sabina Park Test when they weathered the loss of Brathwaite and Bravo, to reach lunch on a healthy 194 for three.
Resuming on 107 for one following the complete washout of the third day, West Indies lost Bravo in the ninth over of the morning after he added just 11 to his overnight 18, top-edging a hook to long-leg off pacer Ishant Sharma at 129 for two.
However, replays showed Ishant front foot on the front crease but after the on-field umpires referred to television umpire Gregory Brathwaite, Bravo’s dismissal was still shockingly upheld.
Brathwaite then followed three overs later, gloving a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha off off-spinner Ravi Ashwin, leaving the Windies in a twist.
The right-hander faced 163 balls and struck six fours.
Jamaicans Samuels and Blackwood came to their side’s rescue in a fourth wicket stand of 67, which saw the hosts safely to the interval without further loss. On the resumption, however, the innings was tossed into turmoil without warning. Blackwood triggered the slide when he nicked Kumar to Kohli at second slip in the fifth over afterward, without adding to his interval score of 20.
Fifteen balls later with his half-century in sight, Samuels was bowled off the inside edge by Kumar off one that came back sharply, with only a run added at 203 for five.
All told, he counted seven fours and a six off 109 deliveries.
Second Test hero Chase fell meekly in the next over for two, edging a drive at left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja to Kohli at slip and when Jason Holder was palpably lbw to Kumar for two, West Indies were slumping at 212 for eight.
In his next over without any run added, Kumar removed Alzarri Joseph to a catch by Rahul at third slip and Cummins (0) and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich (18) offered little resistance as the innings folded.
INDIA 1st innings 353
WEST INDIES 1st innings
(overnight 107 for one)
K Brathwaite c wkp Saha b Ashwin 64
L Johnson run out 23
DM Bravo c Jadeja b I Sharma 29
M Samuels b Kumar 48
J Blackwood c Kohli b Kumar 20
R Chase c Rahane b Jadeja 2
+S Dowrich c Dhawan b Kumar 18
*J Holder lbw b Kumar 2
A Joseph c Rahul b Kumar 0
M Cummins c wkp Saha b Ashwin 0
S Gabriel not out 0
Extras (b13, lb2, w2, nb2) 19
TOTAL (all out, 103.4 overs) 225
Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-129, 3-135, 4-202, 5-203, 6-205, 7-212, 8-212, 9-221, 10-225.
Bowling: Kumar 23.4-10-33-5 (w2), Mohammed 17-3-58-0, Ashwin 26-7-52-2, Sharma 13-2-40-1 (nb2), Jadeja 24-9-27-1.
INDIA 1st Innings
KL Rahul c Brathwaite b Cummins 28
S Dhawan lbw b Chase 26
*V Kohli lbw b Cummins 4
A Rahane not out 51
R Sharma not out 41
Extras (b1, lb1, nb5) 7
TOTAL (3 wkts, 39 overs) 157
Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-58, 3-72.
Bowling: Gabriel 3-0-19-0 (nb1), Joseph 4-0-23-0 (nb2), Cummins 6-1-22-2 (nb2), Holder 5-1-17-0, Chase 11-1-41-1, Brathwaite 10-1-33-0,
Position: India lead by 285 runs.
Toss: West Indies.
Umpires: N Llong, R Tucker; TV – G Brathwaite.
