India in driver’s seat, look set for a big win in Antigua Test

North Sound (Antigua), July 24

A dominant India left a hapless West Indies on the verge of a possible innings defeat at 21 for one in their second innings after being asked to follow-on on the third day of the opening cricket Test here.

After a brilliant display from the willow-wielders, Indian bowlers, too, joined the party and bundled out the West Indies for 243 to take a huge first innings lead of 323 runs.

Returning from a one and a half year injury layoff, Mohammad Shami (4-66) and Umesh Yadav (4-41) took four wickets each to wreck the hosts, dismissing them for 243 with 13 overs still remaining in the day. But that was after Shane Dowrich (57 not out, 10 fours) and skipper Jason Holder (36) put on 69 runs for the eighth wicket.

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India then enforced the follow-on. At stumps the hosts West Indies were placed at 21/1 in 13 overs in their second innings, still trailing by 302 runs after the visitors had finished their first innings at 566 for eight declared.

Earlier at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Dowrich and Holder looked good in the middle and kept the scoreboard ticking for the duration of their partnership, with the West Indies’ 200-mark coming up in the 81st over and their 50-run stand coming off 80 balls.

The new ball was taken thereafter, with R Ashwin (0-43) starting but he soon gave way to Yadav and Shami. Dowrich, meanwhile, got to his second Test half-century off 75 balls, even as runs started flowing owing to the hardness of the new ball.

But it didn’t last long as Yadav finally induced an edge off Holder in the 86th over, caught behind by keeper Wriddhiman Saha. It was his sixth dismissal of the innings and he equalled the Indian record held by both Farookh Engineer and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Yadav then bowled Carlos Brathwaite (0) off the very first ball, as the burly batsman shouldered arms to an incoming delivery. Amit Mishra (2-43) then ended the resistance and bowled Shannon Gabriel (2).

Trailing by 323 runs, the West Indies were asked to follow on, and Ishant Sharma (1-3) managed to remove the in-form Kraigg Brathwaite (2) in the very first over, trapping him LBW. Thereafter, Rajendra Chandrika (9 batting) and Darren Bravo (10 batting) successfully negotiated the remaining overs without further loss. PTI