Latest update February 2nd, 2025 7:46 AM
West Indies cruising at 267-2 vs India
MUMBAI, India (AP) — West Indies made a superb start in the third and final test against India as half-centuries from its top four batsmen led the visitors to 267-2 on the first day.
Kirk Edwards was batting on 65 at the close and left-hander Darren Bravo on 57, the pair capitalising on a sound platform provided by their openers after captain Darren Sammy elected to use a good batting pitch at Wankhede Stadium.
Edwards and Bravo have added 117 runs, exhibiting some fine strokeplay after a sluggish first half of the day included a defiant 137-run stand between Kraigg Brathwaite (68) and Adrian Barath (62).
Offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin took both wickets, but India spilled catches which undermined its goal of a 3-0 whitewash in the series. Edwards, who was lucky on 29 to see wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni unable to latch on to a hard chance down the leg side off part-time spinner Virender Sehwag, has struck 10 fours off 117 balls.
In his six-test career, Edwards has so far struck two centuries and three half-centuries to average more than 54.
Bravo also gave a chance, on 33, when he was dropped by Rahul Dravid at slip off left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. Bravo, who hit a superb 136 in the second innings of the second test in Kolkata, has seven boundaries off 98 balls during his seventh half-century.
Earlier, Ashwin’s twin wickets pegged back West Indies.
Brathwaite struck eight fours off 184 balls and Barath hit eight fours off 148 balls before both fell to bat-pad catches.
“Barath and I decided to get through the first hour without losing any wicket,” Brathwaite said. “We did that and from there we just said we will press on and we got a 50-run partnership and then a 100.”
Barath, who turns 19 next month, executed some fine drives to frustrate both the pace and spin bowlers during his second successive half-century and fourth overall. He was the first batsman out, pushing forward to Ashwin and getting an inside-edge that scooped up off the pad for captain Dhoni to pouch comfortably running forward.
Brathwaite got most of his runs behind the wicket early on, but settled well to work the ball around with ease. He brought up his fourth test 50 with a cut through point to the boundary off Ojha. Brathwaite was on 57 when VVS Laxman dropped him at backward short-leg off Ashwin. But he fell to the same bowler soon after, when Virat Kohli took an easy bat-pad catch at forward short-leg.
“It is the best pitch out of all we have played on this tour. It was spinning but it was spinning very slow, so we had time to adjust,” Brathwaite said.
India’s debutant pace bowler Varun Aaron felt the pitch would not change soon. “I feel there will be a lot of runs scored in the next four days,” Aaron said. “It is not going to change much as there is a lot of grass which is going to bind the wicket.”
West Indies were forced into two changes. Veteran batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul could not take his place due to a calf injury and pace bowler Kemar Roach had a stomach illness. Batsman Kieran Powell and seam bowler Ravi Rampaul were called up as replacements.
India also made two changes. Kohli replaced the dropped Yuvraj Singh, and Aaron replaced Umesh Yadav. India won the first test in New Delhi by five wickets and the second in Kolkata by an innings and 15 runs.
Scores: West Indies 267 for 2 (Brathwaite 68, Edwards 65*, Barath 62, Bravo 57*) v India.
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