IND vs WI, 2nd Test: Kohli, Jadeja have task cut out after evenly-contested Day 1

When the second Test against West Indies commenced in Port of Spain, Trinidad on Thursday, India pretty much carried on from where they had left off in Dominica.

After having been asked to bat, India skipper Rohit Sharma and his newly-found opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal asserted dominance with the bat, leading the visitors to 121/0 at lunch break.

The duo were quite literally unstoppable in that first session. However, the script in the second session  was somewhat different. Something which we had not witnessed in the first Test in Dominica — A West Indies’ fightback.

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That second session was by far the best the West Indies had showcased against India in a long time. And that gritty fightback from the bowlers after toiling hard is what puts the contest very much in the balance, despite India holding the upper hand with Virat Kohli (87*) and Ravindra Jadeja (35*) at the crease.

For West Indies, that second session was something to smile about, even if momentarily. Having failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup for the first ever time in their history, the last month or so has not been easy for West Indies cricket, but their bowlers’ display after lunch on Thursday must have been a breath of fresh air.

However, be it in a sporting or a non-sporting scenario, perfection does not come without a few narrow scares and surviving them. Jaiswal was the quickest among the openers to get to his half-century, off 49 balls, but he was dropped not once, but twice by the West Indians.

The first was when Jaiswal was batting on 4. Facing Alzarri Joseph, Jaiswal got a thick edge off the bat that flew to Kirk McKenzie, who only got a finger on it, before the ball raced past the boundary ropes.

Another one was at a time when Jason Holder was looking for answers to beat the opening stand. In the 26^th over, Jaiswal got in with his forward defence, got a thick outside edge and carried to Alick Athanaze at first slip, who dived towards his right, but failed to catch hold of the ball.

The script could have been a lot more different had West Indies actually got rid of Jaiswal early on, but instead the 21-year-old got two crucial lifelines, so much so that he and Rohit became the first opening pair in 24 years to register consecutive century stands in a Test series, since Devang Gandhi and Sadagopan Ramesh against New Zealand in 1999.

Jaiswal was eventually dismissed courtesy a widish off delivery from Holder, and this time too, Jaiswal got a thick edge en route to McKenzie in the gully region. And this time, McKenzie made no mistake.

Shubman Gill fails to fire again

It’s safe to say that Shubman Gill has not been enjoying his life at number three in Test matches to the fullest. In that one opportunity he got in the first Test, managing just six runs. In the first Test, Gill, facing Jomel Warrican, got in for a defensive push towards Athanaze after the ball spun sharply.

And in the second Test on Friday, Gill once again went for the push, only to get a thick edge en route to wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva off Kemar Roach’s ball.

All Gill had to do is hang around and play a supporting role to Rohit for a while before stabilizing his innings, but Gill, in spite of scoring a couple of boundaries, never settled at the crease.

It is maybe that composure and calmness that he has lacked in the two innings he has batted, or maybe it could have been Gill’s poor shot selection that has cost him his wickets. Either way, Gill has the task cut out if he is to come out and bat in the second innings, and who knows, it might be just about controlling his tempo, at least that’s what former batter Abhinav Mukund believes.

“The converse is easier to do. To control the bat speed. I would think Shubman Gill is going after things that he doesn’t want to go. That will be the challenge. Shubman Gill is sort of struggling a little bit in controlling his tempo. Unfortunately, he is going forward a bit too much for my liking,” Mukund said on JioCinema.

Kohli-Jadeja stand

He’s been there, done that to say the least. Virat Kohli, playing his 500^th match of his cricketing career, has the perfect opportunity to capitalise India’s position and surge ahead in the Test.

Kohli had walked into bat when India were 153/2, but at 288/4, he would have to walk out to bat with Ravindra Jadeja (35*) with a fresh mindset.

Kohli (87*) was resolute with his defence on Thursday, and ran between the wickets pretty well.

Kohli was also cautious with the loose deliveries he faced, so much so that, he only got off the mark in the 21^st delivery he faced, and took 97 deliveries to get to his fifty.

The flurry of wickets that India had lost in the second session was unexpected. West Indies had nearly dominated the second session, that ended with four wickets and only 61 runs in India’s favour.

Alzarri Joseph tried to decimate Kohli and Jadeja with short balls, but no avail. Jadeja even struggled with his pull shots, up until the 70^th over, when he finally nailed it, beating Kevin Sinclair behind the fine leg region.

With no answers to dismiss the duo, Kraigg Brathwaite turned to himself and fellow spinner Alick Athanaze, and although Athanaze has somewhat controlled the flow of boundaries, the last coming in the 79^th off Kohli, quick wickets is what West Indies need if they are to restrict India below 400.

West Indies will look to maintain their wicket-taking momentum with some belief that they can restrict India before the said total, but face a major hurdle against Kohli and Jadeja on Day 2.