Related Links

June 12, 2006 (Click to see the Scorecard)

India made giant strides forward in their quest of winning the St.Lucia Test. The visitors took 8 West Indian wickets today but bad light and rain halted their progress to give West Indies the escape for the day. West Indies have been forced to follow on in their second innings and they are now fighting for survival at 43 for 1. It was once again a day where the grey skies played hide and seek and in the final session with 11.3 overs to go, the Umpires had to suspend play for the final time on Day 3 as the rain picked up and the conditions were getting pitch dark. The strong winds were troubling the groundsmen in putting the covers intact on the square. Brian Lara and Daren Ganga are carrying the West Indian fight and they have put on a decent stand already. India still have two complete days to take those 9 wickets to win this match.

 
Tale of the Morning Session

Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle batted with assurance and in particular Chanderpaul was very busy with his strokeplay. Gayle on the other hand was engaged in blocking Kumble’s leg breaks. It was Kumble who got the breakthrough for India removing Chris Gayle with a straighter one that got the outside edge; Dhoni almost fumbled in taking that tough chance but held it in the 2nd attempt as he bent down. Kumble had set up Gayle’s dismissal brilliantly as he kept on persisting with his leg breaks that were starting to turn sharply and all of a sudden bowled the straighter one that foxed Gayle (46). The left hander was playing for the non existent turn and had he picked that variation from Kumble’s hand, he would have left it on its own around the offstump. Kumble with that took his 519th Test wicket which meant that he was now leveled with Courtney Walsh in the all time highest wicket takers. Irfan Pathan then gave India the bonus by picking up the all important wicket of Chanderpaul. The former West Indies Skipper got into a horrendous position to flick a full length inswinger from Pathan and fell all over his shot to get his feet in a tangle. Chanderpaul (30) lost his balance and missed the ball to get struck low on his pads. After that Dwayne Bravo and Denesh Ramdin put on a fighting stand to ensure that Windies went to lunch with not more than 5 wickets down. India were satisfied with those two big wickets in that session.

Tale of the Afternoon Session

Anil Kumble after tea overtook Courtney Walsh with the wicket of Dwayne Bravo with the youngster losing out mentally to give a low catch to first slip. Bravo was neither forward nor back and edged Kumble’s leg break without covering for the turn. The ball before this was a deadly one with Kumble pitching it onto the middle stump and then got it to turn and the ball missed the offstump by just few centimeters. Bravo could do what all he could, but end of the day he was just a kid facing a legend with 500+ victims. Munaf at the other end complemented Kumble with the wicket of Denesh Ramdin (30). The wicket keeper batsman was enticed in playing a drive to a reverse swinging outswinger and Dhoni took a nice tumbling catch. That dismissal opened up the tail of the West Indies and Virender Sehwag had some fun as he took the remaining wickets with his flight and dip. Jerome Taylor was the first to go holing down to Kaif at deep mid wicket after playing one slog too many. Pedro Collins was one of the worst tail enders you would see in the modern era and he did not waste anybody’s time nicking a drifter from Sehwag and Bradshaw was the last man out caught brilliantly by Sehwag. Bradshaw did play well for his 20 and had played 59 balls. Sehwag had beaten him in the flight defeating his intentions of working it against the turn and the bowler dived to his right to take a one handed low catch to signal the end of the West Indies innings at 215 all out. Munaf, Kumble and Sehwag ended up with three wickets each.

Tale of the final session

Rahul Dravid enforced the follow on after the Tea Break, keeping in mind that the weather would have its say constantly in this match. And Pathan gave him the best start possible by nailing Gayle with a beautiful delivery that held its line after shaping in. Gayle got a feather edge to that and that brought Brian Lara instead of Sarwan at the crease. Both Lara and Ganga were batting out of their crease to negate the movement and were looking successful in taking the lbws out of the equation. Both the umpires noticed the same and it was getting rather difficult for the medium pacers to trap them in front. Both batsmen started to grow in confidence to deny any wickets for the bowlers although runs were hard to come by. In the 18th over, the rain and bad light had suspended play and soon the umpires had declared stumps for the day.

West Indies have got themselves in a miserable position and they still trail by 330 runs. Even if they get those runs, India has all the time in the world to chase a target. It looks likely that only rain can save the homeside from surrendering this Test Match. So far the rain breaks have been very short with the stadium seeing only the passing showers that disappear as fast as they come. Indian bowlers would get a good night’s rest to recharge their batteries and they should remember that it’s not over until it’s really over.

Top of the Page