Ashwin removes Brathwaite but West Indies keep the fight going

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2nd Test, Port of Spain, July 20 – 24, 2023

, India tour of West Indies

Day 3 – Session 3: West Indies trail by 230 runs.

Current RR: 2.13

• Min. Ov. Rem: 33.3

• Last 10 ov (RR): 30/1 (3.00)

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Blackwood and Athanaze took West Indies to tea on the third day with India 264 runs in front

R Ashwin sent back Kraigg Brathwaite for India’s only wicket in the second session • Associated Press

Tea West Indies 174 for 3 (Brathwaite 75, Blackwood 16*, Athanaze 13*, Jadeja 1-19) trail India 438 by 264 runs

India’s attack toiled away on a placid Port-of-Spain pitch, taking just two wickets in two sessions on a rain-interrupted third day. In reply to India’s 438, West Indies were 174 for 3 in 86 overs at tea, with Jermaine Blackwood on 16 and Alick Athanaze on 13.

India’s debutant Mukesh Kumar first snagged West Indies’ debutant Kirk McKenzie for 32 off 57 balls before rain forced an early lunch. R Ashwin then breached the strong defences of Kraigg Brathwaite in a 15-over shift post lunch. Ashwin took the pitch out of the equation and bowled Brathwaite through the gate with a delightful cocktail of loop, drift and turn.

Brathwaite had looked immovable until Ashwin dislodged him for 75 off 235 balls. Ashwin, however, had been building up to this dismissal in a marathon spell by scrambling Brathwaite’s judgment with drift in particular. He finally broke Brathwaite’s resistance in his 26th over. Ravindra Jadeja, too, applied pressure on West Indies’ batters from the other end, but India could not make any further inroads.

After starting the day on 37, Brathwaite got to his 29th half-century – his second slowest in Test cricket. He tiptoed to the landmark off 170 balls. His slowest fifty had come off 174 balls against Bangladesh in North Sound last year.

Brathwaite is as old school as one can get these days. He has played nearly 200 first-class matches but is yet to feature in an official T20. When Mukesh hung up the ball outside off, Brathwaite refused to catch the bait. Then when Mukesh straightened his lines and targeted the stumps, with twin short midwickets and a short square leg in place, Brathwaite defended stoutly. He also dead-batted Mohammed Siraj and the spinners before Ashwin whipped up his magic.

Blackwood, who usually likes bat on ball, also showed great restraint and extended West Indies’ fight into the final session. Athanaze, though, batted with more freedom, picking Ashwin away for back-to-back fours.

McKenzie had played more eye-catching strokes on the third morning before rain intervened, forcing a truncated session. He punched Jaydev Unadkat for consecutive fours, which might have done his hero and fellow Jamaican Chris Gayle proud. It forced Unadkat to dig the ball into the pitch, but McKenzie was ready on the back foot to pull him for four more. Mukesh then had McKenzie wafting behind for 32 off 57 balls for his first Test and 150th first-class wicket.

It was just reward for Mukesh for having plugged away on a good length outside off. Perhaps, this was the reason why India had picked him ahead of Navdeep Saini after Shardul Thakur had been sidelined from this Test with a groin niggle. Mukesh could have a bigger role to play once India take the second new ball.

Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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