Holder, Fraser stun India A
TAROUBA, Trinidad, Aug 6, CMC – Wriddhiman Saha and Hanuma Vihari struck halfcenturies but fast bowler Chemar Holder grabbed three late wickets to limit India A on the opening day of the final four-day “Test”.
Sent in at the Brian Lara Stadium on Tuesday, the visitors were dismissed for 201, with Saha top-scoring with 62 and captain Vihari chipping in with 55.
Opener Mayank Agarwal got a start with 33 and all-rounder Shivam Dube hit 26 but India A fell away at the end, losing their last five wickets for just 12 runs in the space of 41 balls.
Holder, who took three of those five wickets, ended with three for 47 while off-spinner Akim Fraser did the early damage for the hosts in taking three for 53.
Leg-spinner Yannic Cariah supported with two for 45. West Indies A then stumbled to the close on 23 for one, losing Montcin Hodge for 15 to the day’s final’s delivery, bowled missing an ambitious drive at off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham.
Fraser had given West Indies A an excellent start when he took two wickets in the first session to reduce India A to 47 for three at lunch, before taking another almost immediately following the resumption.
Fast bowler Miguel Cummins bowled Abhimanyu Esawaran without scoring in the morning’s seventh over before Agarwal and Priyank Panchal (11) put on 38 for the second wicket to steady the innings.
However, Fraser struck twice in successive deliveries just before lunch when he had Agarwal taken at short leg by Jeremy Solozano and followed up by trapping Shubman Gill in front first ball. After lunch, he then accounted for Panchal without adding, caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton.
Vihari, unbeaten on two at lunch, anchored two half-century stands to prop up the innings. He first put on 86 for the fifth with Saha before adding a further 55 for the sixth with Dube.
All told, he faced 139 balls in just short of 3-¼ hours and counted five fours while Saha’s knock was more cavalier, coming from just 66 balls and
including nine fours and a six.
Saha eventually holed out to wide mid on off Cariah and after tea, reached at 155 for five, Dube added a further 13 before miscuing a heave at
the same bowler and falling to a skyer at long off.
Vihari was eighth out, dragging on a drive at Holder, to be one of four wickets to fall for just two runs.