Batting collapse leaves India A odds-on for win
TEST STAR Jermaine Blackwood and attacking opener John Campbell struck half-centuries but West Indies A suffered a batting collapse to let India A back into the second four-day Test yesterday.
Resuming the penultimate day at the Somerset County Ground on 96 for one in their second innings, Windies A were eventually dismissed for 210, with Blackwood top-scoring with 67 and Campbell getting 61.
However, the last nine wickets tumbled for 85 runs, as new-ball seamers Mohammed Siraj (4-64) and Rajneesh Gurbani (3-64) ran through the innings.
Left with a target of 321, India produced another sterling secondinnings effort to end on 214 for three, with Hanuma Vihari top-scoring with an unbeaten 65, captain Karun Nair stroking 55 and Abhimanyu Easwaran chiming in with 31.
The right-handed Easwaran ensured a solid start to the innings when he put on 51 for the first wicket with Ravikumar Samarth (18).
CAUGHT
Left-arm seamer Raymon Reifer removed Samarth to a catch at the wicket while fast bowler Romario Shepherd also claimed Easwaran to a catch behind, to put West Indies A in control at 78 for two.
However, Vihari and Nair then combined in a solid 136-run, thirdwicket stand that put the Indians back in control of the run chase.
The right-handed Vihari struck five fours in an innings lasting 123 balls in just over 21/2 hours while Nair slammed eight fours in a counter-attacking 63ball knock before perishing to the final delivery of the day.
Blackwood and Campbell had earlier extended their second-wicket stand to 74 before being separated.