Rohit and Jaiswal help take India's lead past 300

Stumps

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

, India tour of West Indies

(32 ov, T:365) 255 & 76/2

Day 4 – West Indies need 289 runs.

Current RR: 2.37

• Last 10 ov (RR): 26/0 (2.60)

Report

The pair put India in the driver’s seat, despite a rain-interrupted session

Yashasvi Jaiswal played his shots early on as India looked for quick runs • AFP/Getty Images

Tea India 438 and 118 for 2 (Rohit 57, Gill 10*, Kishan 8* Gabriel 1-11) lead West Indies 255 (Brathwaite 75, Siraj 5-60, Mukesh 2-48) by 301 runs

After Mohammed Siraj made light work of West Indies’ lower order with the second new ball, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal led India’s victory push by rattling off 98 together from just 71 balls. Rohit and Jaiswal fell either side of lunch on a rain-hit day, but India’s lead had passed 300 by the time tea was taken.

India needed less than eight overs – and less than an hour – on the fourth morning to dismiss West Indies for 255 from an overnight 229 for 5. Siraj, the leader of India’s inexperienced pace attack, lived up to his billing and returned career-best figures of 5 for 60 in challenging conditions.

It was debutant Mukesh Kumar who had struck in the first over of the day when he pinned Alick Athanaze lbw with an inswinger from over the wicket. After being given out by on-field umpire Marais Erasmus, Athanaze went for a review almost immediately, but HawkEye suggested that it would have just clipped leg stump. Athanaze could count himself a bit unlucky, with ball-tracking also returning umpire’s call on impact.

In the next over, Siraj went wide of the crease, tricked Jason Holder into playing for the inward angle, but got the ball to swing away and kiss the edge. Siraj proceeded to snip off the tail with his wobble-seam inducker and outswinger. He led India’s players off the field and was warmly welcomed back by bowling coach Paras Mhambrey.

Rohit and Jaiswal then switched into T20 mode and regularly hit the ball over the top. In the first over of India’s second innings, Jaiswal jumped out of the crease and dispatched Kemar Roach over extra-cover for six. Then, in Roach’s next over, Rohit lofted him over the midwicket boundary with a bigger swing.

Rohit had led a charmed life – he was first dropped by Shannon Gabriel on 25 and then by Athanaze on 29. Both were fairly straightforward chances, bringing West Indies’ sloppy fielding into sharp focus once again. In the ODI World Cup qualifier in June-July, West Indies had botched a number of chances in the field, with white-ball coach Daren Sammy labelling them the “worst fielding side” around.

Rohit made West Indies pay on Sunday, shellacking a 35-ball half-century – his fastest in Test cricket. However, just before the rain arrived, he was caught at fine leg, where Alzarri Joseph didn’t mess it up.

Jaiswal then helped India reach 100 off 12.2 overs – the fastest team hundred (where known). When Jaiswal tried to up the ante even further, he ended up skying a slog-sweep to the wicketkeeper off Jomel Warrican for 38 off 30 balls. Wet weather allowed only three overs in the afternoon session. The forecast for Monday in Port-of-Spain is also grim.

Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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