2nd Test: Rain forces early lunch after Rohit fifty, Siraj five-fer put India on top against West Indies

Port of Spain, July 23 (IANS) Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj bagged excellent figures of five for 60 while captain Rohit Sharma hit a rollicking 57 off 44 balls to put India on top against West Indies before rain forced early lunch on the fourth day of the fourth Test at the Queen’s Park Oval here on Sunday.

At lunch, India were 98 for one in just 12 overs, with the lead at 281 runs. Jaiswal is unbeaten on 37 off 28 balls with Shubman Gill giving him company after playing one ball. In an early start to the day, Siraj mixed his inswingers, outswingers and wobble-seam deliveries to good effect with the second new ball to bag his best figures in an innings in Test cricket.

West Indies managed to avoid the follow-on in the first innings but could add only 26 runs to their overnight total, giving India a healthy 183-run lead. With the bat, Rohit came out all guns blazing, hitting five fours and three sixes to share a quick 98-run opening stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal, before whipping straight to fine leg off Shannon Gabriel.

After India took a 183-run lead, Jaiswal showed attacking intent from the word go, dancing down the pitch to loft Kemar Roach over extra cover for six. He followed it up with a neat clip past mid-on for a boundary. Rohit joined the party with a thick edge off Alzarri Joseph going past the second slip for four.

Rohit superbly flicked Roach over long-on for six in his ODI batting style, followed by driving Joseph through point for four. After pulling Joseph for six, Rohit got a life when Gabriel dropped a catch off Holder and got another reprieve shortly as Kirk McKenzie shelled a chance at square leg.

None of this deterred Rohit’s aggressive style of play, reminding many of England’s Bazball effect, as he lofted Joseph for six, flicked Holder in the gap for four and got his fifty in 35 balls with a pull past keeper off Gabriel, also his fastest half-century in the format.

With Jaiswal getting a brace of fours via pulls, Rohit superbly placed a punch off Gabriel in the gap on the offside before he ran out of luck as his pull went to the hands of fine leg. After Gill played his first ball, skies opened up for rain and players went off, with early lunch called in.

Earlier in the morning, with the second new ball being just 5.1 overs old, India made early inroads when Mukesh Kumar struck in the first over of the day, beating Alick Athanaze on the inside edge and trapping him lbw for 37.

In the next over, Holder pushed hard at a full outswinger from Siraj and nicked behind to wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan for a low catch to his right. Alzarri Joseph survived an lbw appeal off Siraj on review, but a ball later, he was trapped lbw by the wobble-seam delivery from the fast bowler.

India continued to persist with aggressive field settings, keeping three slips and two men at gully or a deep third man when Siraj bowled. When Mukesh was operating, the field varied between six, five or four slip fielders, and at times three slips, a gully and a leg gully.

That reaped reward when Roach slashed hard at a wide outswinger from Siraj and took the outside edge behind to Kishan. On the very next ball, Siraj trapped Gabriel lbw for a golden duck to end up with his second five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Rohit’s fifty and his stand with Jaiswal ensured India are in ascendancy in the match.

Brief scores:

India 438 and 98/1 in 12 overs (Rohit Sharma 57, Yashasvi Jaiswal 37 not out; Shannon Gabriel 1-11) lead West Indies 255 all out in 115.4 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 75, Alick Athanaze 37; Mohammed Siraj 5-60, Ravindra Jadeja 2-37) by 281 runs.

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