Lunch India 367 (Pant 92, Rahane 80, Shaw 70, Holder 5-56) lead West Indies 311 by 56 runs
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Ajit Agarkar explains how West Indies bounced back in the second session
West Indies’ talismanic leader Jason Holder breathed life back into a fledgling unit by restricting India’s lead to 56 with the fifth five-wicket haul of his Test career. It was the first five-for for a West Indies quick in India since 1994. India began the day only three runs behind, with six wickets in hand and two overnight batsmen nearing centuries. What they had to face was an extremely disciplined and committed performance with the new ball taken first thing in the morning. Holder finally found support from Shannon Gabriel, and consequently West Indies conceded just 59 in 25.4 overs on the third morning and took six wickets.
On the first Indian pitch in eight years to produce two five-fors for fast bowlers, India’s second quick, Shardul Thakur, only managed to bowl 10 balls in the first innings before re-injuring his groin. However, he made a big contribution by walking out to bat, risking severe damage to his groin, hobbling through for runs, and adding 28 crucial runs with R Ashwin for the last wicket. Ashwin was the last man out, his 35 getting India a lead that could still prove decisive.
Despite his height, Holder managed to keep attacking the stumps. Fifty-two per cent of his deliveries were ending in line with the stumps. Had he been less accurate, Ajinkya Rahane probably wouldn’t have played at the first ball of Holder’s second over of the morning. This one kicked at him after pitching, and took the shoulder of the bat for a catch at gully. Rahane last scored a century last August. Two balls later, Holder trapped Ravindra Jadeja in front, with late and just enough movement back in from round the wicket. In the same over, Ashwin survived a similar shout: both balls moving back in, and would have shaved the leg stump. Jadeja was given out, Ashwin not. Neither decision could be overturned on review.
At the other end, Gabriel peppered Rishabh Pant with short balls, and he eventually threw his bat at one. It was neither cut nor punch, and Shimron Hetmeyer caught it brilliantly at cover, diving to his right. This was Pant’s second successive score of 92. Kuldeep Yadav became Holder’s fifth victim. This one moved back in but not as much as Kuldeep expected, and hit the top of off, the biggest virtue of Holder’s bowling.
Umesh Yadav left Ashwin disappointed when he got out cutting left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican. In Tahkur, Ashwin found support, although not always intelligent. At one point, Thakur took a single off the last ball of an over, with Ashwin not even turning it down. At one point, Thakur forgot to run when Ashwin tried to farm the strike with a single off the last ball of an over. This partnership was not expected to flourish much because Ashwin is not known as a big hitter, and neither batsman at this moment was a quick enough runner to be able to manipulate the strike. However, Ashwin played with patience, invested trust in Thakur, and managed to hit four boundaries. Eventually Gabriel burst through his defence. The previous ball had kicked at him, and Ashwin’s feet didn’t move enough against the wicket ball to cover the movement.
West Indies had given themselves a great chance to put India under pressure, and it was now down to their misfiring batsmen in the third innings.