Apart from their lazy hazy off days spent on some of Antigua & Barbuda’s 365 pristine beaches, the Indians enjoyed their 2 best days in the sun on days 3 and 4 of this 1st Test match, revelling on the notorious track at the ARG which has lived up to its reputation of becoming progressively more batsman-friendly as the match wears on. And ironically the architect of their mammoth second innings total of 521 for 6 declared, was Wasim Jaffer who did not have — and perhaps did not need the benefit of some weeks of acclimatization a la the ODI series to find his groove. In fact in only his 3rd innings on this tour he crafted a superb double century to put his team in a dominant position for the first time on this tour to eke out an important victory.
And with India in firm control and taking advantage of the depleted West Indies attack without Fidel Edwards, their main strike bowler, the real Mahendra Singh Dhoni, heretofore dormant on his maiden voyage to the Caribbean, made sure that his reputation stayed intact with a flamboyant aerial display, clobbering 69 off 51 balls with no fewer that 6 spectacular sixes and 4 fours. Dhoni’s aerial attack which targeted left arm spinner Dave Mohammed in particular, hastened Dravid’s declaration but not before some unnecessary controversy over what could have been his 7th six, as Darren Ganga caught the guided missile close to the boundary.
In my view the lengthy discussion and ensuing confusion about the decision was unnecessary simply because, if the television replays were inconclusive as to whether Ganga touched the boundary while taking the catch or not, then the umpire on the field should have immediately ruled the batsman out. Essentially the only certainty as the situation developed was that a clean catch was made by the fieldsman. The adjudicators in control should have indeed taken control and prevented any intervention by the players.
As I indicated in my last report the West Indies would have been ruing their lack of application on day two of this Test match when three of their batting stars, Chris Gayle, vice- captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, and Dwayne Bravo, who have all scored Test hundreds on this ground, did not soldier on when they were in control, to post a 1st innings total of say 450 to 500 that would have in effect put the game out of reach for India. Hopefully this is part of the learning curve for the young West Indians who must now be hoping that they do not have to pay dearly for their mistake. Without a doubt this was not a good day for the Windies. Notwithstanding the loss of Edwards for this match and perhaps beyond, the bowling attack with the exception of Ian Bradshaw whom I thought was overbowled, lacked penetration. I thought that he should have been rested periodically and his partner Corey Collymore should have taken up some of the slack. It certainly is not the ideal situation for anyone other than a spinner to bowl 25 overs on the trot on an unresponsive track. Some of the field placing today was questionable particularly in relation to the slip cordon where some catches went abegging. And the fielding display by the West Indies was easily the worst on the tour so far. Whether the pressure of a gruelling Test has gotten to Lara and his young charges is left to be seen, but the stage is now set for the real deal.
Even under the best circumstances under the most ideal conditions it is extremely difficult to score 379 runs in a day let alone the 5th day of a Test match. West Indies must therefore approach this final day with the mindset of occupying the crease all day. And although it is somewhat cliched, Brian Lara and his men must take the day one session at a time. Day 5 of this crucial Test — the last one at this storied sward — could see the maturity of this young Windies squad.
The pitch at this stage has a bit in it for everyone. Batting would require application, immense concentration and of course determination. The skipper Brian Charles Lara who has scored a triple and a quadruple century here is long overdue. Perhaps he just might lead the way to an honorable draw tomorrow. Is the Windies makeover complete? Can the West Indies swallow a large dose of Kumble? Stay tuned. This is another nail-biter.
