Dowrich shines but Windies battling to avoid defeat

stumped, after failing to anchor his back leg.

Bravo showed little signs of discomfort during his 33ball stay at the crease for 11, adding 22 with Brathwaite to keep West Indies steady.

However, he perished nine balls before lunch when he nibbled at one from seamer Mohammed Shami that bounced and left him slightly, to give wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha the second of five catches and six dismissals overall.

On 90 for three at lunch, West Indies found themselves in complete disarray just 20 minutes after the resumption when Shami struck with a double wicket maiden to account for Marlon Samuels for one and fellow Jamaican Jermaine Blackwood without scoring.

Samuels, yet to score at lunch, made just one before edging a prod at the 16th ball he faced through to Saha, at 92 for four.

Blackwood, meanwhile, lasted just four balls before fending one that lifted sharply off a length, to third slip where Ajinkya Rahane held an easy catch.

Brathwaite and debutant Roston Chase, who scored 23, then stemmed the flow of wickets with a 47-run, sixth wicket stand which saw the Windies through the next hour without further loss.

The right-handed Brathwaite reached his eighth halfcentury in Tests, 25 minutes after lunch with a straight drive for four off Mishra and caressed the same bowler to the point boundary a couple of overs later.

Chase looked composed in 45 balls and 70 minutes at the crease but fell 25 minutes before tea when he pulled an ordinary delivery from pacer Yadav into Rahane’s lap at mid-wicket.

Eleven balls later with five runs added, Brathwaite gloved a lifter from Yadav behind to end his toil at 144 for seven, having faced 218 balls in 291 minutes at the crease and counted seven fours.

On 157 for seven at tea, West Indies rallied after the break, thanks to an eighth wicket stand of 69 between Dowrich and Holder.

Dowrich struck ten fours in an innings that needed just 79 balls in just over 1-3/4 hours while Holder faced 52 deliveries in counting five fours and a six – a pull over mid-wicket off Shami.

But Holder drove at at a wide ball from Yadav to be caught behind at 213 for eight and off the very next delivery, Carlos Brathwaite offered no stroke to one that seamed back and was bowled off-stump.

Shannon Gabriel stayed around long enough to add 30 with Dowrich before he was bowled for two, missing a wild heave at Mishra.