Rain ruins play after India declare with 304 lead

Aug 02, 2016 Sports

ESPNcricinfo – A Test match can be a bit like a puppy dog. And great players can lead it wherever they want. This West Indian XI does not have great players. They have great triers. Captain Jason Holder and coach Phil Simmons put the men on defence – understandable considering the opposition had a fat lead. Despite their best efforts, the only thing that seemed to threaten India’s chances in Kingston was the weather. A tropical storm has been forecast to hit the region on the fourth day.
Ajinkya Rahane found himself part of a pattern, one that has been central to India’s success on this tour of the Caribbean. They have batted eleven-and-a-half sessions in this series. And a set batsman had been out there every time. Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin began the trend in Antigua. It continued with KL Rahul yesterday and Rahane today, as he got to his fifty with a fierce square cut to the third man boundary. It was a shot he used often and his back-foot play overall was excellent.
India weren’t pushing themselves to full tilt though. The mountains on the horizon were obscured by heavy cloud. Rain came seven overs after lunch and spirited 52 minutes out of the game. Offspinning allrounder Roston Chase took two wickets in two balls and had them eight down when play resumed. The run-scoring stayed sedate.
Virat Kohli, sipping tea in the dressing room, was still in his training gear. He was clearly not thinking about the declaration. Perhaps Rahane approaching a Test century away from home had something to do with that. And with only Nos. 10 and 11 for company he began to farm the strike. This was where West Indies’ discipline paid off. They had given away only 142 runs in 46.1 overs. They made India bat long for a lead they liked. Three hundred and four runs behind, with more than two days left, saving this Test will be incredibly hard, but with severe inclement weather around, the possibility can’t be ruled out. A good chunk of the second session and all of the third was washed off after India had declared.
Rahane squirted an outside edge between slip and the wicketkeeper in the 170th over to reach his third hundred in four innings, captured on camera by the coach Anil Kumble and celebrated vigorously by his team-mates. The locals at Sabina Park had something to cheer too when Chase induced a top edge from Umesh Yadav to wrap up his first five-for in his second Test. With a high-arm action resembling Nathan Lyon, he got the ball to dip and bounce. Amit Mishra failed to get to the pitch of one and caught at short leg. Seconds later Mohammed Shami was bowled playing down the wrong line. Chase had worn a sheepish grin yesterday when he conceded he hadn’t liked going without a wicket on debut. Now he was leading his team off.
India remain in control at Sabina Park. Their bowling strategies have been clever; their batting plans responsible. They are favourites to win back-to-back Tests outside the subcontinent.
The last time that happened was in 2006; they beat West Indies at this very venue in June, waited six months for their next tour and beat South Africa in Johannesburg.
The last time that happened in the same series was against Zimbabwe in 2005. Dilute that equation to include only the top-eight teams, and you end up at 1986 when they beat England at Lord’s and Leeds. History beckons, if weather permits.

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