West Indies v India 2nd Test, Day 1 - 5 Memorable Moments

Day One of the second Test matches at Sabina Park proved that it was just the location that had changed. The status quo, however, of India being the more dominant side remained the same. The Indians quite effectively made the hosts buckle under the pressure of some fantastic bowling.

The Indian bowling attack was very much in its element as they snapped up three wickets before lunch and polished off the tail a few deliveries prior to tea, meaning that it was indeed an early tea break for both sides. The Indians proved that it wasn’t the worst of wickets to bat on as KL Rahul raced away to a wonderful and unbeaten 75.

1. Jermaine Blackwood puts the bowlers to the sword

While most of the West Indies batsmen were all at sea against the impeccable Indian bowling attack, Jermaine Blackwood sought a different approach to playing the Indian attack. He did not defend. He attacked every single delivery. A well-reasoned coach or player may find solace in advising Blackwood on playing the long game. However, as far as Blackwood was concerned, the runs continued to flow and fast. He raced away to a run-a-ball 62, an innings that included 7 boundaries and four sixes before eventually being trapped to the spin of Ravichandran Ashwin.

2. Ravi Ashwin rips through Windies batting unit

As of the previous Test match at Antigua, Ravi Ashwin had completed two tasks. First, he established himself as the premier all-rounder for the Indian Test team and second, he became the top-ranked Test bowler in the world. As mentioned earlier, the status quo very much remained the same as Ashwin coasted to yet another 5-wicket haul. More importantly, as far as Virat Kohli was concerned, Ashwin was picking up the important wickets. He removed Marlon Samuels and the dangerous Jermaine Blackwood as the other three wickets, in effect, dismissed themselves as Ashwin underlined his credentials as a world class bowler.

Also read – Twitter Reactions: India gain upper hand on Day 1, courtesy of Ashwin and KL Rahul

3. Miguel Cummins launches a counter-attack

Making his debut for the West Indies on the day was youngster Miguel Cummins. The latter has earned the reputation of being a bowler who has the ability to hurry the batsman up. However, his batting took center stage as he blasted the India bowlers to different parts of Sabina Park. He smashed a quick-fire and an invaluable 24 runs off 25 deliveries including 2 boundaries and sixes apiece. Moreover, he remained unbeaten, something that is certainly a good sign as far as the tail of the West Indies batting is concerned at the very least.

4. The unlucky tale of Amit Mishra

Each time Amit Mishra bowls, he bowls his heart out. Moreover, he is a thinking bowler, someone who certainly knows how to catch a fish. However, playing his first Test at Sabina Park proved to be somewhat of a Kryptonite for the uncanny Mishra as he was the beneficiary of some sloppy Indian fielding. Mishra earned the sympathy of the Indian skipper Virat Kohli as he and Yadav were the only bowlers who hadn’t taken a wicket with nine wickets down. A dropped catch, a few plumb leg-before decisions, a run-out, and a catch at backward point effectively summed up Mishra’s day. Although he did indeed pick the final wicket of the Windies innings, Mishra was clearly livid as the Indians left the field at the stroke of the tea interval.

Also read – West Indies v India 2nd Test, Day 1 – Statistical Highlights

5. KL Rahul re-finds magical touch

‘KL Rahul was a forced change’ were the words that came out of skipper Virat Kohli during the toss. However, the way Rahul batted, it seemed as though he had been playing for almost 10 years with the India outfit. It was far from easy to bat on those type of conditions, especially with pacers such as Shannon Gabriel and Miguel Cummins. However, Rahul showcased a combination of grit and patience as concluded his innings on 75 and unbeaten on the conclusion of Day one.