Two rain delays, coupled with some resilient albeit slow batting by West Indies, kept India from taking a firm grip on the third day of the second and final Test. The home team looked hell-bent on survival even if it meant scoring at a snail’s place. The lifeless surface played its part, offering little assistance to the bowlers, apart from some reverse swing and turn from the rough in the latter part of the day.
Proceedings were dull, with the ultra-cautious nature of the home team batters making things painstaking at times. Resuming at 86-1, they added 143 more in 67 overs. In reply to India’s 438, the total was 229-5. Defence must have been their primary plan after being shot out for 150 and 130 in the first Test. Kraigg Brathwaite, the captain, made 75 off 235 balls, and almost everyone else tried to follow that as a template. Kirk McKenzie, the No. 3 who made 32, was the sole exception, looking to score before falling to Mukesh Kumar, his fellow debutant. Despite all of them getting starts, there was just one half-century and a solitary 50-plus partnership.
Although the surface was flat and devoid of pace or bounce, the Indians might have expected some wear and tear with turn on Day 3. There was a rough created at the end Jaydev Unadkat was operating from and the spinners tried to take advantage of that. But the turn they got was slow. The batters had time to read the ball off the pitch and play safely. Only towards the end of the day did the ball do a bit and a few deliveries bounced awkwardly.
There was little intent to score runs, which suggested that West Indies were not thinking of winning this Test and squaring the series. This slow going kept India in the hunt because two quick wickets might hasten a collapse and give the visitors a handy enough lead to put the home team under pressure in the fourth innings. A lot, of course, would depend on the weather and the spinners.
Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat and Mukesh did well and the debutant stood out for the length he bowled to right and left-handers. He tried to pitch it up, yet did not let them drive. His control and discipline was praiseworthy. Siraj and Unadkat also looked incisive when they got the old ball to move, and Siraj bagged a wicket in the bargain.
Having said that, the job of taking wickets on a surface challenging for bowlers, if India get enough overs in the last innings, will be on Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. They shared 58 of the 108 overs bowled and would be expected to be more effective in the second innings. Ashwin varied his pace and angles and his patience was rewarded by the wicket of Brathwaite, clean bowled by one that drifted away, spun back and sneaked through the narrowest of gaps between bat and pad. India need more of those and a dash of luck to break the home team’s resistance.