Bhuvi strikes it rich, India have upper hand

GROS ISLET, ST LUCIA: Bhuvaneshwar Kumar produced a superb spell of swing bowling to bring the third Test alive here on Friday. On the the fourth day of the Test, the India medium-pacer took a five-for to help shot out West Indies for 225 to give India a chance to go for a win.
India needed quick wickets to have any possibility of forcing a result in the Test after Thursday’s total washout.Play began on time and while clouds strayed around the Darren Sammy Stadium, spells of bright sunlight raised hopes of less interruption and more play.
Bhuvaneshwar had the wickets of Jermaine Blackwood, Marlon Samuels, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph and Shane Dowrich to wreck West Indies’ innings. The hosts were bowled out a few minutes before tea, giving India a lead of 128.
Batting for the second time, India were 157/3 at close. Their lead now is 285 with one day to go. The visitors were looking for quick runs but were hindered by regular fall of wickets. Ajinkya Rahane (batting 51) and Rohit Sharma (batting 41) then built up a partnership of 85 for the fourth wicket to wrest the initiative back.
Sharma ramped it up with a few lusty blows including three sixes. He also had a few mishits, but in the situation the team would have been fine with that.
India had to wait for a while for the first success of the day as overnight batsmen Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo kept stonewalling, their motive simply being occupation of crease. Batting was so tedious that the 50-run stand between the two came in 153 balls.
With scores of 11, 10, 0 and 20 in the series so far, Bravo, one of the senior members of the side, was under immense pressure to perform. Bravo shunned his busy style to grind his way out of a form slump even as he was tested by the short-pitch stuff from Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.
Bravo, though, lost his restraint once and that led to his fall. The Trinidadian was lured into playing a hook by Ishant and the top edge went straight to Ravindra Jadeja at deep fine-leg. It was an agonising wait for the players as the TV umpire took several minutes to decide whether it was a no ball. TV replays hinted that nothing of Ishant’s foot was behind the line as required by the rule. The umpire called out.
India, who opened the day with left-arm spinner Jadeja operating from the pavilion end, brought in R Ashwin just before the drinks break. Ashwin, who on Wednesday became only the fourth player in Test history to score two centuries and grab two five-wicket hauls in a series, struck with his first ball. The obstinate Brathwaite (64 off 163 balls) tried to tickle a delivery spinning away towards the leg but could only glove it to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.
The two wickets gave more thrust to India’s drive. Ashwin began turning the ball and Jadeja too beat the bat a few times as India sensed more rewards coming their way. There was an appeal and a false stroke almost every over. But Samuels and Blackwood, through luck and pluck, kept India at bay.
Skipper Virat Kohli took the new ball as soon as it was available and it did the trick for India.
Bhuvaneshwar made the ball shape away but struggled to hit the right line. The first time he got it right, he got Blackwood. It was just about the perfect outswinger, starting on the off-stump and moving away. Blackwood nicked it to Kohli at second slip. In the next over, Bhuvi swung one in and caught Samuels’ inside edge on way to the stumps.
West Indies were in deeper trouble when last Test’s centurion, Chase, was snared by Jadeja with one which spun and jumped. Soon, it was 212 for seven when Holder was adjudged leg-before to Bhuvaneshwar. The captain was beaten by another inswinger from the crafty bowler and was hit on the back leg. Holder was not happy with the decision as he thought the ball was too high to be hitting the stumps.
Bhuvneshwar then accounted for debutant Alzarri Joseph who failed to open the account in his first international innings. Dowrich, who was twice dropped of Bhavneshwar’s bowling, first by KL Rahul at third slip and then by Rohit Sharma at short midwicket, finally got out to give Bhuvneshwar his fifth scalp. The catch was taken by Kohli at second slip but only on the second attempt.
Bhuvneshwar’s spell read 11.4-6-16-5.