Adrian Barath?(26) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (two) saw out a first day to remember in this Digicel Pearls Test Series against India, to leave the West Indies on 34 for one in pursuit of India’s first innings of 246 all out.
Eleven batsmen fell in 81.2 overs. It was a blistering day of wickets and runs.
Without a doubt, a small crowd on the first working day of the week were privileged to see another dramatic day of Sabina Park Test cricket.
When Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss, he backed his batsmen to see off what moisture the pitch possessed yesterday morning.
Instead, Ravi Rampaul, Devendra Bishoo and Fidel Edwards reduced them to 85 for six shortly after lunch, only for Harbhajan Singh (70, 74 balls, 10 fours, one six) and Suresh Raina (82, 115 balls, 15 fours) to power through the choppy waters with brilliant counter-attack.
But breathtaking catching by Bishoo and post-tea aggression from Edwards (16-1-56-4) and Rampaul (18.2-2-59-3) sent them sinking again. India went from 85 for six to 231 for seven, to 246 all out in 61.2 overs. By the time Rampaul had seen a leaping Bishoo clutch Raina’s pull to square leg over his head to end the innings, the small Sabina posse were making themselves heard.
They had been thoroughly revved up by the forceful West Indian comeback following the flamboyant response to adversity so superbly launched by Harbjahan and Raina. In 28 overs in which a boundary came virtually every over, the seventh-wicket pair struck 162 runs and transferred the pressure from their side squarely onto the West Indian bowlers.
Bishoo had a crazy day. He began perfectly, drawing V.V.S. Laxman into edging a leg break to captain Darren Sammy at first slip off his first ball in the last over to lunch. And in his first two overs after the break, taken at 64 for four, he added the equally big wickets of Rahul Dravid (40, seven fours) and Dhoni (nought). Dravid was beginning to look really dangerous when he snicked a drive to Sammy at slip, and Dhoni perished pushing to Lendl Simmons, also at slip.
Bishoo had hit upon an irresistible length. And then, just so, he was ambushed by “Turbanator” Harbhajan. Driving, pulling, swinging and sweeping with calculation, Harbajhan ripped into the leggie and any others who bowled from the other end.
Left-hander Raina, his timing spot-on like a Rolex, was equally uncompromising with elegant driving on both sides of the wicket. He took advantage of bowling that quickly lost its disciplined line and length as he and Harbhajan raised 50 in 37 balls and had posted 134 together by tea.
It was a “shot bwoy” shotgun session. Bishoo (11-2-75-3) had to be pulled from the attack after just seven overs in which he conceded 44 runs. And every time he came back, there was more licks. Sammy and Rampaul also suffered.
At the tea break, Bishoo left the field with a chastened face. But it did not take long after tea for this cricketer to show his resilient character. Rampaul, who had bowled debutant Abhinav Mukund and had Murali Vijay caught by Bishoo at point in his first spell, resumed the attack after the break at the new Michael Holding End, with Edwards coming from the Courtney Walsh End.
Harbhajan had only moved from 67 to 70 when Edwards pitched short and he top-edged a pull high to vacant midwicket. Bishoo, at deep square leg, bolted after the catch, legs pumping furiously and eyes always on the ball, he completed it with a two-handed dive.
A roar went up around the ground as Bishoo was mobbed by his teammates. They all knew what that wicket could mean and it did spark the final Indian collapse.
Edwards, chosen ahead of Kemar Roach – who was joined on the sidelines by Marlon Samuels – was bowling with the aggression of old.
Back in Test cricket after a two-year absence through injury, he was rewarded with the further wickets of Praveen Kumar – lbw to a full delivery – and Amit Mishra caught at slip off the glove, fending at a short one.
