India's Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring a century against the West Indies on day two of their second cricket Test match, Friday, July 21, 2023, at Queen's Park in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
After taking only five Indian wickets in Dominica, the West Indies were able to bowl the visitors out, but the total of 438 that Rohit Sharma & Co ended up with appeared to be a difficult assignment for the hosts, based on what happened in the first Test.
The West Indian innings, on the other hand, got off to a far more steady and uneven start this time, with openers Brathwait and Chanderpaul focusing solely on survival and reaching 50 in 22 overs. Spin was introduced very early in the tempo, but due in part to the batsman learning a few lessons from Dominica and in part to the pitch not being exceptionally responsive, there was little joy as the West Indies closed Day 2 on 86/1, behind by 352 runs. To go near the Indian total and make a match of it, they will need to bat the entire third day, and possibly beyond.
Mukesh Kumar, making his debut, was solid and precise without being overpowering. Pace isn't one of his strong suits, and the minor seam movement he squeezed from the surface wasn't too difficult to navigate. The scoring rate dropped to under two runs per over at one point, but the hosts were not moaning after being bowled out in about 65 and 50 overs. Skipper Rohit had to reintroduce Mohammed into the attack, a minor victory for the Caribbean openers.
After the openers had put on 71, Jaddu got the breakthrough when he coaxed Chanderpaul to go for a huge shot to one pitched outside off-stump, only for the leading edge to loop to Ravichandran Ashwin at backward point. Kirk McKenzie, a left-hander making his debut, was much more upbeat and even blasted Ashwin over mid-off for six runs.
Virat Kohli and Ravindra came together post-tea on the first day of India's batting innings after the hosts had claimed four wickets in short succession. They avoided any additional setbacks in Thursday's final session, and as long as they were together on the second morning, it seemed inevitable that the former skipper would score the 13 runs he required for Test milestone No. 29, and the left-handed all-rounder would reach his half-century.
As the West Indies were flat to begin the day, neither had to do anything out of the norm to achieve their respective benchmarks. Virat Kohli's celebration when he reached three figures was typical because he knew the innings would not be on the shortlist of his finest, partially because the opposition was not the toughest. Virat Kohli batted regularly, and when the former was caught short of the crease by Joseph direct hit while attempting a tight single, it appeared to be the only way he could have been dismissed after looking desperate to cash in with the bowling not troubling him. The 159 they put on was more than the West Indies put on.
Virat Kohli's 121 was his second hundred in four Tests, but he would have felt he might have scored much more with that stutter that lost his wicket.
With 500 international games under his belt, Virat Kohli knows what it takes to get the job done even when his 'A' game isn't on. He labored through his 76 in Dominica, but the effort helped him get a hundred the next time out. Given the circumstances, it was strange to see the batting gurus celebrate boundaries with lifted arms as if they were big milestones at Windsor Park.
You must be logged in to post a comment.