Jaiswal nears double hundred as India reach 318-2 against WI

Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his ascent in international cricket arena with a commanding unbeaten 173, while B Sai Sudharsan kept his critics at bay by making a fine 87 as India posted 318/2 in 90 overs at stumps on day one of the second and final Test against West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday.

From the time captain Shubman Gill won his first toss as India’s Test skipper and chose to bat on a slow pitch on a bright day with 11,000 spectators in attendance, everything went India’s way.

Jaiswal and KL Rahul put on a steady 58-run stand before the former was involved in a huge 193-run partnership with Sudharsan, who hit his first Test fifty in India.

Jaiswal shifted gears post-lunch to bring up his hundred with flair in a knock where he started watchfully, feasted only on bad balls, and then got runs effortlessly. The final session saw a slowdown in scoring rate, but India remained in control. Jaiswal crossed 150 for the fifth time in his young Test career, and looks set for garnering more runs on day two, with skipper Gill also looking solid while slog-sweeping his way to 20 not out.

The standout aspect of the day, though, was Jaiswal’s knock being as a masterclass in tempo control as an opening batter. He absorbed pressure early, capitalised on loose deliveries in the middle session and tightened up again when West Indies regained discipline late in the day.

West Indies, meanwhile, bowled with discipline in patches, with no extras conceded all day and had an excellent over rate. But that wasn’t enough for any other bowler apart from Jomel Warrican to be amongst the wicket-takers.

The chants in the stadium were initially for ‘Kohli, Kohli’, referring to the veteran batting stalwart and local lad. But it quickly changed to ‘Jaiswal, Jaiswal’ by lunch. Those chants were made possible thanks to Jaiswal and Rahul negotiating an early swing before opening up with a flurry of boundaries.

Rahul played shots which pleased the shutterbugs in the stadium – a pristine punch and whip off Seales to pick consecutive boundaries. The barrage of boundaries became three in a row when Jaiswal whipped Justin Greaves. There was an element of sheer swagger in Jaiswal – a straight drive off Philip was as fierce as a bullet fired from a rifle.

The straight drive would again come up from Jaiswal’s willow – with its execution impeccable on an overpitched ball from Greaves. After the half-century was raised of the opening stand, Rahul had just lofted Khary Pierre for six and looked to dance down the pitch again - this time to Jomel Warrican, but was undone by a sharp turn going past his outside edge and resulting in the batter being stumped for 38.

Jaiswal continued to be a class apart – rocking back to cut Warrican for four, before lofting and sweeping Roston Chase for boundaries. Sudharsan, walking out at number three under scrutiny, began solidly too with his flicks and punches to keep India’s rhythm intact.

The second session began in a thumping fashion for India - Jaiswal cut Jaydon Seales to pick boundaries on the first two balls, before driving a half-volley through cover for four to reach his fifty off 82 balls. While Jaiswal continued to drive and cut with ease, Sudharsan used his quick hands well to flick, punch, drive and sweep nicely for boundaries.

On an overpitched delivery from Pierre, Sudharsan got his second Test fifty in 87 balls with a drive going through mid-off for four. Jaiswal made full use of loose balls from Anderson Philip to get boundaries and then a flick from Pierre got him the brace to reach his century.

The measured and methodical Sudharsan had a life on 58 when Greaves induced a false shot from him, only for Warrican to spill a straightforward chance at short mid-wicket.

The third session then began with a bang as Jaiswal pressed forward to crunch Roston Chase through cover for four, before Sudharsan leant well into a drive to take another boundary off him.

But Sudharsan’s knock ended when he was trapped lbw by Warrican, who got the ball to spin back in sharply from over the wicket – where the batter was caught at the crease yet again. Sudharsan reviewed the decision at the fag end, but replays confirmed the dismissal, as he walked back to the pavilion 13 runs short of what could have been his first Test century.

With Gill hitting two glorious slog sweeps off Pierre, Jaiswal continued to be ominous by driving off him and then cutting fiercely off Warrican for picking up two boundaries. Jaiswal brought up his 150 with a flick off the pads on his 224th ball and raised his bat to acknowledge the applause from teammates and fans.

Agencies