2nd Test: West Indies v India at Port-of-Spain, 19-23 Apr 2002 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Test: West Indies v India at Port-of-Spain, 19-23 Apr 2002
Santhosh S

India 1st innings: Lunch: Day2,
West Indies 1st innings: Tea: Day2, Stumps: Day2,
Live Reports from previous days

WEST INDIES STRUGGLE TO 197/6 AT CLOSE OF PLAY
West Indies lost valuable wickets in the final session of the second day’s play at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain to finish at 197/6. They still trail by 142 runs in the first innings. At close of play Carl Hooper is unbeaten on 30 and Mervyn Dillon is on six not out. Javagal Srinath has easily been the best of the bowlers with the figures of 16-4-56-3.

Ramnaresh Sarwan (35) as always promised so much and failed when he looked like going for a big score; Dravid caught him off the bowling of Ashish Nehra. This brought together the experienced pair of Lara and Carl Hooper in the middle. Lara looked in ominous form and soon after reaching his fifty, he was caught behind off Zaheer Khan. Lara made 52 off 78 balls, striking half a dozen boundaries.

Umpire Daryl Harper has had a nightmare of a Test match; Shivnarine Chanderpaul (1) was given out leg before off Srinath, when the ball had clearly pitched outside the leg. It was a poor decision and more bad luck for the West Indies team. There was more joy for Srinath in the same over, Junior Murray trapped plumb in front for a duck. West Indies lost three wickets in the space of ten deliveries and were struggling at 180/6 at that stage.

Hooper and Dillon held strong against some purposeful Indian bowling and has so far added 17 runs for the seventh wicket partnership. The game went well past the scheduled close of play, due to the slow over rate and players went off the field when the umpires offered the light to the batsmen.

WEST INDIES MOVE TO 80/2 AT TEA ON THE SECOND DAY
West Indies lost the wickets of both their openers Chris Gayle (13) and Stuart Williams (43) and were 80/2 at Tea on the second day at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. This was after the Windies bowled out India for 339 in the second over after the luncheon break.

VVS Laxman scored a couple of boundaries off the first over after lunch, bowled by Adam Sanford. Marlon Black did not waste any time, trapping Javagal Srinath (18 plumb in front of the wicket. The last man Ashish Nehra lasted only three balls, caught by Hooper at second slip for a duck. Laxman was left stranded 69 not out (123 balls, 11 fours). Black finished strongly with the figures of 17.5-7-53-3.

West Indies started their innings on a positive note; Williams especially sever on the wayward bowling. The right-handed opening batsman struck three consecutive boundaries off Srinath as West Indies went on to reach their 50 off just 9.1 overs.

Sourav Ganguly came up with a plan to get rid of Gayle and put Shiv Sunder Das at a short cover position. Srinath got the ball to angle away from the left-handed Gayle and all the batsman could do was try to turn it towards the leg side and get a leading edge and spoon a catch to Das at short cover. Gayle made 13 runs off 32 balls with the help of three fours.

The introduction of Harbhajan Singh slowed things down considerably. Williams was caught bat pad by Das at forward short leg off Harbhajan Singh, just before the tea break. Williams made 43 off 62 balls, striking eight boundaries. Ramnaresh Sarwan is unbeaten on 13 and the new batsman to walk in to join him will be the local hero Brian Lara.

INDIA STRUGGLE TO REACH 331/8 AT LUNCH ON THE SECOND DAY
Cameron Cuffy and Adam Sanford struck twice each as India lost four wickets in the first session on the second day of the second Test match being played at the Queens’s Park Oval at Port of Spain. At lunch, India were 331/8 with VVS Laxman unbeaten on 61 and Javgal Srinath on 18 not out.

Sachin Tendulkar, resuming on his overnight score of 113 could add only four more runs in the morning. He survived a very confident shout for lbw off the bowling of Cuffy; umpire Asoka de Silva once again ruling in the batsman’s favour after Tendulkar had padded up to it. The whole of West Indies must have wondered what they should do to get a decision in their favour. With the very next ball, Cuffy had Tendulkar shuffling back and across and rapped on the pads – the ball would have gone on to hit the middle stump. Umpire de Silva after a dramatic pause put his finger up and Tendulkar was finally dismissed for 117 (260 balls, 14 fours).

Ajay Ratra making his Test debut couldn’t do much with the bat, caught behind of Cuffy for a duck, which was also Junior Murray’s 100th victim as a wicket keeper. Harbhajan Singh too was dismissed for a duck, caught by Cuffy at long leg off the bowling of Sanford. Zaheer Khan (5) played and missed too many times outside the off and was finally dismissed by Sanford, Zaheer playing all over a full length delivery to see his middle stump knocked out of the ground. India were 298/8 at that stage.

VVS Laxman pulled a ball through mid-wicket for a four to reach his half-century. Laxman has played a few glorious cover drives this morning and looks to be in very good touch. Srinath should have been caught by Hooper at second slip, the edge flying over slips for four. Srinath has found the easiest route to the boundary – the thick edge to the third-man fence thrice in his innings so far.

Sanford (28-5-103-3) and Cuffy (30-12-49-2) has so far been the most successful of the Windies bowlers.