India Two Up Against The Windies

The West Indies finally used a good start and batted deep into the last session of the fourth day before finally succumbing to a hard working India. The pitch played its part, playing just as true on the fourth day as the first. The fragile batting of the West Indians in the first innings cost them the match.

Darren Bravo raises his 2nd Test ton

Darren Bravo completed his second Test century in three Tests, after waiting ten Tests for the first one. He shared partnerships of 45 with Kirk Edwards yesterday and then 109 with Shiv Chanderpaul and 132 with Marlon Samuels today but when he finally left at 5-401, any hope of the West Indies drawing the game out much further went to the sheds with him. After five and a half hours, he edged a straight ball from Ohja and Rahul Dravid took a smart catch to his right at first slip. Dravid is a revelation to all middle aged men.

Samuels made 84

Chanderpaul dropped anchor for a couple of hours but pushing at a short ball from Yadav which he should have thrashed through the off, he tickled an inside edge back onto his stumps. Samuels finished with his highest score since January 2008, which was also his last century. There is a laziness about the way he spends his time at the crease, casually striking the ball to the boundary but throwing his wicket away in more of his innings at Test level than most others. His innings today started poorly with inside and outside edges heralding his demise but he survived and blossomed after tea. Yadav again made the breakthrough, going past Samuels outside edge and hitting off stump which was good bowling but also the case of Samuels playing the wrong line. His career average in the late twenties and only two hundreds in sixty four innings are a disappointment.

Ohja picked up Carlton Baugh and Ashwin picked up Roach and with the West Indies threatening to make India bat again, Yadav came on and cleaned up Darren Sammy, who was entertaining the crowd with another typical slog fest and Bishoo, bowled first ball in that neck and crop manner. Yadav finished with the bowling honours on a dead track.

India two up with one to play.