Windies make dents in India batting
GROS ISLET, ST LUCIA: It took West Indies two Tests to discover India’s Achilles heel --- the short ball. Virat Kohli needed two Tests to check the temperament of Chestesh war Pujara, Umesh Yadav and Amit Mishra. They failed, and Kohli rang in the changes on Tuesday.
But what ultimately unravelled at the Darren Sammy Stadium was a little anti-climactic for India. Murali Vijay was supposed to be fit but Kohli’s perseverance with KL Rahul paid off to some extent. Rohit Sharma again got a chance against his favourite Test opponents but this time the script went a little different from that of his Kolkata debut almost three years back. India were 98/4 after 32 overs on the first day, a scenario unimaginable even two weeks back.
What changed between then and now is how West Indies were ready to crank up the pace. By giving Alzarri Joseph his first cap, West Indies captain Jason Holder walked his pre-game talk of adding an extra pacer. And Joseph set up the morning for the hosts by making Virat Kohli almost lose his balance with a bouncer that whizzed above his shoulder! That one delivery almost gave licence to West Indies to mount a full blown assault aimed at the Indian batsmen’s throats. Joseph lived up to his reputation, snapping up Kohli with a short one again. Pitched short, the ball climbed on Kohli, denying him any room as the India captain was forced to fend to Darren Bravo at first slip.