Windies hunt mammoth target

Windies fast bowler Kemar Roach continued his impressive showing with the ball; however, the Windies face a daunting task to save the second Test match against India following Day three action at Sabina Park in Kingston yesterday.

After wrapping up the Windies’ first innings for 117, India had the hosts at 45 for two at stumps in their second innings, still needing another 423 runs to win with eight wickets in hand.

The visitors, who had a 299-run first-innings lead, declared their second innings on 168 for four, with Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari both getting half-centuries.

The only real bright spot for the home team on the day was the workmanlike effort of Barbadian Roach, who snared two wickets in one over to move to ninth place on the all-time list of Windies Test wicket takers with 193, surpassing the legendary Wes Hall, 192.

During that splendid spell, the right-arm quick removed opener KL Rahul, caught behind for six, then the very next ball, he bowled a peach of a delivery to induce the edge of Virat Kohli, and wicket-keeper Jahmar Hamilton gleefully accepted his second catch to send back the Indian captain for nought.

Roach came millimetres away from claiming a hat-trick however, Ajinkya Rahane watched as his inside edge flew precariously past the stumps and down to the boundary.

When skipper Jason Holder had Cheteshwar Pujara caught at slip by Shamarh Brooks for 27, India were in a spot of bother at 57 for four. However, Rahane and Vihari would dig them out of trouble with an unbroken 111-run fifth-wicket stand.

Rahane hit eight fours and a six in his unbeaten knock of 64, while Vihari was left not out on 53, which included eight fours.

Roach ended with figures of three for 28 from 10 overs, while skipper Holder picked up the only other wicket to fall for 20 runs.

WINDIES REPLY

Set a mammoth 467 to win, the West Indians began their reply tentatively yet again, and that cagey approach accounted for the wicket of the woefully out-of-form Kraigg Brathwaite, who edged Ishant Sharma to the wicket-keeper for three with just nine runs on the board.

Left-handed opener John Campbell was determined to play a few more shots this time around after getting a peach of a delivery in the first innings. Campbell hit two lovely fours and got to 16 before he tried to play one shot too many and was snapped up at slip by Virat Kohli off Mohammed Shami at 37 for two.

Number-three batsman Darren Bravo also looked more purposeful in the second innings and is so far not out on 18, while Shamarh Brooks is unbeaten on four as the Windies saw their way to the close without further loss.

With 423 runs still needed to win the Test match, Roach told reporters that the team had only one thing to do come today’s fourth day.

“All we have to do is just bat. We still have two days to go in the Test match, so we just have to go out there and be positive, back ourselves, and put up as much runs as possible,” he said.

Roach added that he was glad to be among the legends on the all-time most Test wickets list for the Windies.

“It was tough work out there today, but I am happy for myself to be amongst the greats, and it is a good achievement for me.”

Today’s action bowls off at 9:30 a.m.

SCOREBOARD

INDIA 1st Innings 416

WEST INDIES 1st Innings

(overnight 87 for seven)

K Brathwaite c wkp Pant b Bumrah 10

J Campbell c wkp Pant b Bumrah 2

D Bravo c Rahul b Bumrah 4

S Brooks lbw b Bumrah 0

R Chase lbw b Bumrah 0

S Hetmyer b Shami 34

*J Holder c sub (Rohit Sharma) b Bumrah 18

+J Hamilton c Kohli b Sharma 5

R Cornwall c Rahane b Shami 14

K Roach c Agarwal b Jadeja 17

S Gabriel not out 0

Extras (b8, lb5) 13

TOTAL (all out, 47.1 overs) 117

Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Campbell), 2-13 (Bravo), 3-13 (Brooks), 4-13 (Chase), 5-22 (Brathwaite), 6-67 (Hetmyer), 7-78 (Holder), 8-97 (Cornwall), 9-117 (Hamilton), 10-117 (Roach)

Bowling: Ishant 10.5-3-24-1, Bumrah 12.1-3-27-6, Shami 13-3-34-2, Jadeja 11.1-7-19-1.

INDIA 2nd Innings

KL Rahul c wkp Hamilton b Roach 6

M Agarwal lbw b Roach 4

C Pujara c Brooks b Holder 27

*V Kohli c wkp Hamilton b Roach 0

A Rahane not out 64

H Vihari not out 53

Extras (b8, lb4, nb2) 14

TOTAL (4 wkts decl., 54.4 overs) 168

Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Agarwal), 2-36 (Rahul), 3-36 (Kohli), 4-57 (Pujara)

Bowling: Roach 10-3-28-3, Holder 11.4-5-20-1, Cornwall 23-7-68-0, Gabriel 7-3-18-0 (nb2), Chase 3-0-22-0.

WEST INDIES 2nd Innings (target: 468 runs)

J Campbell c Kohli b Shami 16

K Brathwaite c wkp Pant b Ishant 3

D Bravo not out 18

S Brooks not out 4

Extras (b4) 4

TOTAL (2 wkts, 13 overs) 45

Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Brathwaite), 2-37 (Campbell)

To bat: R Chase, S Hetmyer, J Holder, +J Hamilton, R Cornwall, K Roach, S Gabriel

Bowling: Ishant 4-1-13-1, Bumrah 5-2-16-0, Shami 4-1-12-1.

Position: West Indies require a further 423 runs to win with eight wickets intact.

Toss: West Indies.

Umpires: Richard Kettleborough, Paul Reiffel; TV – Rod Tucker.