ZCZC
BSP-23
CRICKET-IND-WI-TEST-LEAD
India sweep series 2-0 against Windies
DHAKA, Oct 14, 2018 (BSS)-India completed a 2-0 sweep over the Windies with
an overwhelming 10-wicket victory on day three of the second Test at the
Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday, source ICC.
India needed just 72 runs to win the game and reached the target in just
16.1 overs. Virat Kohli and his men have now completed ten consecutive series
victories in home conditions. It is also India’s seventh straight series win
against the Windies.
Openers Prithvi Shaw (45-ball 33*) and KL Rahul (53-ball 33*) steered India
past the finish line in the final session after Windies were dismissed for a
127 in the third innings.
India started the day at 308/4, three runs adrift of the Windies first
innings total. Ajinkya Rahane was the first wicket to fall, as he was undone
by extra bounce from Jason Holder in the 84th over. The Indian vice-captain
could add just 5 runs to his score from the previous day, edging the ball to
gully for a 183-ball 80.
Ravindra Jadeja, who scored his maiden Test hundred in the first Test, was
dismissed for a duck by the Windies captain just two balls later.
Holder dished out an immense performance with the ball, becoming the first
Windies pacer to clinch a five-wicket haul in India since 1994. His figures
of 5/56 gave the visitors a way back into the game, despite three Indian
batsmen notching up half-centuries in the innings. Shannon Gabriel played the
perfect second fiddle to his captain, troubling Rishabh Pant with short
deliveries and dismissing him in the 87th over. It was the second consecutive
time that the Indian wicket-keeper batsman fell on 92.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who replaced his spin-partner Jadeja in the middle,
added 35 crucial runs lower down the order. Kuldeep and Umesh could not
resist for very long and returned to the pavilion with single-digit scores,
adding just eight runs between them.
Seamer Shardul Thakur, who could bowl just 10 balls in the first innings
before picking a groin injury, played out 12 balls to add 28 important runs
with Ashwin, extending India’s lead to 56 runs.
Windies gave themselves a chance to make something from the encounter with
their fightback with the ball, but their batting unit was taken apart by
Umesh Yadav – who had the opportunity to clinch a hat-trick twice on the day.
Kraigg Brathwaite, the Windies opener, was dismissed for a two-ball duck by
the speedster with a delivery that caught the edge of the bat and nestled
into Pant’s diving hands.
Kieran Powell, Brathwaite’s opening partner, also returned to the pavilion
without troubling the scorers. This time it was Ashwin who claimed the scalp,
extracting an edge from Powell’s bat with a quick off-break.
Shai Hope and Shimron Hetymer tried to steady the ship after the two quick
wickets with a 39-run partnership between them for the third wicket. Just
when it seemed like Windies were getting out of trouble, Hetymer was enticed
by a looped delivery from Kuldeep and tried to slog it across the line in the
13th over. The left-hander couldn’t find the middle of the bat and a thick
edge flew to Cheteshwar Pujara at point.
Hope lost his wicket in the very next over, edging a quick delivery from
Jadeja to Rahane at first slip. Roston Chase, the only centurion of the
match, was Yadav’s eighth scalp of the game. The right-hander could add just
six runs before the pacer disturbed the woodwork behind him in the 25th over.
Yadav followed this up with a wicket off his very next ball, dismissing
Shane Dowrich for a golden duck. The wicket-keeper was undone by the pace of
the seamer, who uprooted the off-stump with a fiery in-swinger.
Sunil Ambris and Holder led the Windies resistance after tea and put up a
38-run stand for the seventh wicket. It was Jadeja who broke the partnership,
getting a faint edge off the Windies skipper’s bat. The on-field umpire, Ian
Gould, did not raise his finger, but India had the decision overturned with a
review when a thin edge was picked up on ultra-edge.
Ambris, who played well for his 95-ball 38, also fell to the left-arm
spinner. The right-hander was given out LBW by the on-field umpire but
decided to roll the dice and reviewed the decision. Ultra-edge remained
undisturbed this time, though, and Ambris had to walk back after the three
reds flashed on the big screen.
The last two batsmen – Jomel Warrican and Gabriel – were dismissed by
Ashwin and Yadav, who completed his maiden ten-wicket haul in Test cricket
with the dismissal. He returned figures of 10-133 through the game.
BSS/SG/ARS/1911 hrs