Dravid’s ton puts India in charge

Jun 23, 2011 Sports

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Windies set 326 to win are 131-3

By Sean Devers
in Jamaica
In association with Digicel, Western Union,
Queensway and Jamaica Pegasus

For a brief period after Tea yesterday when Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons were pouncing on the Indian bowlers with an array of audacious shots in a shot-filled 62-run partnership, memories of the Greenidge and Haynes days were reincarnated and hopes of a West Indies win lingered among the small Sabina Park crowd.
But once exuberance got the better of the 21-year-old Barath and he drove loosely at pacer Praveen Kumar and was taken at third slip, which was only installed the ball before, two more wickets tumbled.
But 36 year-old Shiv Chanderpaul (24) and 22-year-old Daren Bravo (30) featured in an unfinished 51-run stand and the Indians know there is still work to do today.
After dismissing India for 252 at Tea, West Indies, set 326 to win were 131-3 needing another 195 for victory.
Devendra Bishoo continued his impressive International career with 4-65 while Skipper Darren Sammy took 4-56 but the first two sessions belonged to 38-year-old Raul Dravid who fashioned his 32nd test century and fourth in 18 Tests against the West Indies.
Dravid, dropped on Tuesday evening by Sammy off Ravi Rampaul on six, batted 274 balls and 403 minutes and his 112 was decorated with 10 fours and six. Dravid, 45 overnight, added 48 for the fifth wicket with Suresh Raina (27) and 56 for the ninth with Amit Mishra (28) before he was last out. Bravo has four fifties in five Tests and his style is similar to Brian Lara’s. Today he has to demonstrate the temperament which Lara, his illustrious country-man displayed during his 34 Test centuries. Chanderpaul, the team’s most senior and successful batsman, scored a century in 2003 in Antigua when West Indies chased down a word record 418 to beat Australia and he is also there.
With six sessions remaining, a draw is as unlikely as the officials of the feuding Demerara Cricket Board factions working amicable together for the good of Guyana’s cricket.
Scores:- India 246 & 252, WI  173 & 131-3.
India resumed on 91-3 with an overall lead of 164 and began cautiously before Kohli (15) gloved a short ball from Fidel Edwards for Carlton Baugh to take the leg-side offering.
Raina punched Edwards down the ground for four and pulled Sammy to the square-leg boundary as he and Dravid took India to 148 before Raina was removed by Bishoo who had 3-75 in the first innings.
Bishoo removed MS Dhoni (16) when the Indian Skipper played an impetuous shot to cover on the stroke of Lunch at 166-6.   Television replays confirmed Bishoo’s right foot touched the return crease but without the referral system which the Indians seem not to favour, their Captain had to go. By the interval, Dravid was 69 and the lead 239.
Harbhajan joined the entrenched Dravid who showed his mastery of bisecting the fielders to find gaps and the pair pushed India’s lead past 250 on a good cricket track with bounce and turn for the spinners.
Sammy struck twice at 183. He had Harbhajan leg before for five and bowled Praveen Kumar for a duck and although the ball which got Harbhajan would have passed high over the stumps, the double strike left Dravid running out of partners at 183-8.
Dravid, who has perished nine times in the 90s, passed 1,500 runs against the Caribbean side yesterday as he held the innings together and found a useful ally in Mishra.
Edwards peppered the batsmen with bouncers and Dravid, showing enormous powers of concentration, reached his hundred from 363 minutes, 253 balls with 10 fours and his innings showed the value of experience and determination.
Mishra clobbered Edwards for four and smashed Rampaul for consecutive boundaries and the 50 partnership had come from just 88 balls. Sammy had Mishra caught at third man at 239-9 as India tried to accelerate. Dravid, who has never hit more then one six in any of his 261 Test innings, lofted Bishoo over the sight-screen but in attempting his second six, skied Bishoo to mid-on as the innings ended.
With a half-century in the first innings, Barath got going with a crisp straight drive for four and along with Lendl Simmons gave the hosts an entertaining start.
Simmons cut Kumar for four. Barath pivoted and hooked Sharma magnificently for six and slashed him to the point boundary.
Barath was not done yet and another disdainful hook off Sharma sailed into the car park while Simmons shimmed down the track to stroke Kumar majestically to the cover boundary.
Barath square-drove Mishra for four to post the 50 off just 55 balls and Simmons celebrated by hitting the spinner on the top deck of the North Stand.
Barath, who hit four fours and two sixes in his 35-ball 38 departed at 62-1, Sarwan was caught at gully off Sharma a run later and Simmons (27) was bowled by a beauty from Sharma as West Indies slipped to 80-3.
But Bravo and Chanderpaul kept hopes alive against a testing spin attack and the first session today should be critical to the outcome of the contest.

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