India is unharmed as Rohit and Jaiswal slam five-figure sums before lunch
West Indies responded forcefully and had a strong session for the first time in the Test series after India dominated the first session of the second Test. The opening stand by Yashavi Jaiswal, totaling 139 runs, was broken by his dismissal for 57 runs, providing a path for the West Indies’ recovery.
India finished the second session of play on Thursday, July 20, with 182/4, with only 61 runs scored in 24.4 overs. Shubman Gill fell cheaply, Rohit Sharma was removed after scoring an impressive 80, and Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed just before tea.
In the first over of the second session, Rohit used the pace to guide a Shannon Gabriel delivery between the gully and the point for a boundary. He then replicated the maneuver in the following over. Jaiswal, who received a reprieve shortly before lunch, was defeated by Jason Holder as he gained the upper hand while attempting a massive drive.
Kirk McKenzie, making his debut, was given the opportunity to make the catch in a deep, wide gully. But shortly after, West Indies lost a review when Gabriel went up for a leg-before shout and the replays showed an inside edge.
When Kemar Roach had the No. 3 out caught behind, Shubman Gill’s innings were over. He had sliced away a couple behind square shots for boundaries. In the second session, the West Indian bowlers also demonstrated a great deal more discipline, which allowed them to restrain India’s rate of scoring.
33 runs came from 11 overs for India in the first hour following lunch. Warrican’s flighted delivery, which turned a little to the side after being angled in, bowled Rohit, compounding the difficulties for India.
The hour before tea, the West Indies were even more thrifty. Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli, the fourth wicket duo, went into damage control mode after taking 21 deliveries for Virat Kohli to make his first run, striking a straight drive from Alzarri Joseph for a boundary.
While the two for the fourth wicket increased their partnership to 27 when Rahane was dismissed by Gabriel off an inside edge, Kohli only hit a cover drive for a four off Joseph and otherwise remained silent.
Earlier, after being asked to bat, India benefited from a strong foundation created by Rohit and Jaiswal, who both scored over fifty during the first session. As India scored at a rate of 4.65 before lunch, they combined for 14 fours and three sixes.
Kraigg Brathwaite, the captain of the West Indies, made a risky choice when it came to the toss due to the lack of support for the pacers and the spin of Jomel Warrican. With the second six helping him reach fifty off 74 balls, the bowling was also erratic at times, allowing Rohit to push a couple of balls over the fence.
At the other end, Jaiswal reached his half-century much more quickly, needing only 49 deliveries to do so after the openers raised their second consecutive century partnership. He did it by hitting two consecutive fours off Roach.
Alick Athanaze missed a low chance leaping forward at first slip as the Indian openers went back unbroken at lunch, having scored 121 at a pace of 4.65 in the first session, although Holder did have a genuine opportunity when he got Jaiswal to edge one that seemed to sail away.
Brief scores: India 182/4 (Rohit Sharma 80, Yashavi Jaiswal 57; Jason Holder 1-22, Jomel Warrican 1-26) vs West Indies.