Port of Spain: Debutant Mukesh Kumar was rewarded for his nagging channel bowling as his maiden wicket in international cricket gave India something to cheer about as West Indies reached 117 for 2 when rain forced umpires to take an early lunch on the third day of the second Test here on Saturday.
Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite (49 batting, 161 balls) continued to frustrate the Indian bowlers. The West Indies batters didn't look in any sort of trouble for the 10-odd overs on third morning during which 31 more runs were added. Mukesh, who bowls a line which is right on off-stump or shade outside of it, bowled a fuller delivery and with not enough room to cut fellow debutant Kirk McKenzie (32 off 57 balls) edged it to Ishan Kishan for a regulation catch.
McKenzie, who hit four boundaries and a six, looked in fine touch and played with a lot of purpose during his 57-ball stay. With the pitch not having any purchase for either spinners or pacers, it has indeed been a hard toil for the Indian bowlers so far. However, one man who would be itching to get into the wickets column will be veteran Saurashtra left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat.
The domestic workhorse undoubtedly is the weakest link in the Indian bowling attack as he has so far given away 31 runs in nine wicket-less overs so far. More than not getting the wickets, Unadkat hasn't even looked incisive enough to create problems for Brathwaite, who has a compact defensive game.
The lack of pace and not having enough movement off the surface meant that Unadkat was the easiest bowler to negotiate. With the next series in South Africa, Unadkat with two wicket-less Tests in the West Indies might find it extremely difficult to hold onto his place in the squad.
The difference between him and Mukesh has been the length that the Bengal pacer found which is slightly fuller despite both of them bowling at the same pace. There is also that slight hint of movement inward or outward that can cause confusion for batters while Unadkat's stock delivery is one that is pushed across the right-handers, which is quite predictable.
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Port of Spain: Kraigg Brathwaite (49) helped West Indies make a bold response to India, carrying his team to 117 for 2 when rain halted proceedings of the opening session of the third day of the second Test here on Saturday. Starting from their overnight 86 for 1, Windies made most of a flat pitch that reduced the firepower of Indian bowlers.
At the forefront of their charge was Brathwaite, who carried on confidently from his overnight 37. Kirk McKenzie, starting the day from 14, gave him good company before debutant pacer Mukesh Kumar dismissed him for 32 for his maiden wicket. The left-handed opener edged Mukesh to Ishan Kishan behind the stumps. It was debutant Mukesh's maiden Test wicket. However, rain poured down precisely at that moment to temporarily end the passage of play.
Brief score: West Indies (Ist Innings): 117/2 in 51/4 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite (batting) 49, Kirk McKenzie 37; Mukesh Kumar 1/11) Vs India: 438 all out.
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Earlier yesterday:
Ace batter Virat Kohli equalled Sir Don Bradman's record of 29 centuries in India's commendable first innings total of 438 but their bowlers found it a tough grind as West Indies ended the second day of the second Test at 86 for 1 here.
34-year-old Kohli, who missed out on a ton in the first Test of the two-match series, made amends with an elegant 121 in 206 balls, his 76th hundred in his 500th international appearance. In the process, the Delhi batter Kohli also added 159 runs for the fifth wicket with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (61 off 152 balls), who also scored his 19th half-century in the five-day format.
Ravichandran Ashwin (56 off 78 balls), with four centuries against the same opposition, did look comfortable against both spin and pace as he played some adventurous ramp shots off pacer Kemar Roach to help himself to a half-century and take the visitors closer to 450.
West Indies openers displayed a solid defensive game before Ravindra Jadeja (1/12 in 10 overs) prevailed after playing with young Tagenarine Chanderpaul's (33 off 95 balls) patience. The southpaw tried to loft a delivery that landed on the rough and the thick outside edge was taken at point by Ravichandran Ashwin.
West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite (37 batting, 128 balls) and stodgy Chanderpaul survived nearly 35 out of 41 overs without much difficulty. They mostly defended with a few boundaries in between. Brathwaite had debutant Kirk Mckenzie (14 batting, 25 balls) for his company when stumps were drawn.
There was no carry off the surface and the inexperienced pace attack of Mohammed Siraj (0/23 in 7 overs), Jaydev Unadkat (0/12 in 6 overs) and Mukesh Kumar (0/10 in 4 overs) couldn't produce anything 'out of the box' on a literally dead track. Ravichandran Ashwin (0/29 in 14 overs) and Ravindra Jadeja were certainly better bets for providing a breakthrough but the West Indies opening duo gave a much better account of themselves compared to the first Test.
Kohli's first overseas ton in nearly five years: The first session of the second day undoubtedly belonged to Kohli, who was hardly troubled by any of the West Indies pacers, having taken 77 runs in singles, doubles and triples apart from the 11 fours in his innings.
Starting the day at 87, Kohli reached his century in the first half an hour while dispatching a Kemar Roach delivery wide of point with a stretched square drive. The satisfaction of scoring his first overseas Test hundred in half a decade was palpable, having last scored a ton on foreign soil in Perth (Australia) in 2018. Kohli's greatness lay in his game awareness as the cornerstone of his innings was 45 singles and 13 doubles in energy-sapping conditions.
He would be pleased because as many as nine of his 11 boundaries were hit on the off-side with the signature cover drive coming out of his closet time and again. To his relief, the absence of off-break Rahkeem Cornwall did make things a bit easier as left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican (3/89 in 39 overs), despite his restrictive lines, did not get a lot of purchase off the surface. Kohli got an able ally in Jadeja, who got another half-century and reaffirmed his status as a batting all-rounder in overseas conditions. Once he was run out and Jadeja also followed him after being rightly given out by TV Umpire despite the DRS replay glitch, Ravichandran Ashwin was the lone ranger with a well-compiled half-century.
One person who would be disappointed will be Ishan Kishan (25), who played a tame shot after getting set and lost out on gaining a clear advantage over Kona Bharat.
