Cricket: India Strike Early Blows After Declaration

GROS-ISLET, Saint Lucia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th August, 2016) - India's bowlers made early breakthroughs to have the West Indies reeling at 53 for three after being set the unlikely victory target of 346 at lunch on the final day of the third Test in St Lucia on Saturday. West Indies fast-medium bowler Miguel Cummins had earlier reaped a bountiful harvest, taking all four wickets in the morning as India pushed for quick runs to facilitate a declaration after nine overs were bowled at the Darren Sammy National Stadium.

Cummins finished with figures of with six for 48 for a nine-wicket match haul as India closed their second innings at 217 for seven. Ajinkya Rahane kept the runs flowing as the wickets tumbled around him in reaching an unbeaten 78. Frustrated by rain and West Indian defiance in settling for a draw in the second Test in Jamaica, the Indian strike bowlers put the home side immediately on the back foot at the start of their second innings with both openers prised out by the fifth over. Leon Johnson departed without scoring, fending a lifting delivery from Mohammed Shami into the hands of Rohit Sharma at forward short-leg.

His opening partner, Kraigg Brathwaite, fell in the very next over as an inswinger from first innings destroyer Bhuvneshwar Kumar trapped him leg-before for four. Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels attempted to repair the situation from the depths of four for two but Samuels fell to Ishant Sharma 15 minutes before the lunch interval when he was bowled for 12. His demise brought in Roston Chase ahead of the attacking Jermaine Blackwood with the West Indies obviously hoping that he would replicate the effort of Kingston a week earlier when his maiden Test hundred played a key role in saving the home side from going 2-0 down in the series. Chase resumes in the afternoon session in partnership with Bravo, who has been involved in what appears to be a protracted verbal altercation with Rohit Sharma, necessitating the intervention of the on-field umpires. Sharma's was the first wicket to fall in the day, trapped lbw to Cummins off the second ball of the morning.

In just his second Test match, Cummins then added the scalps of Wriddhiman Saha, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, who all fell seeking to push the score along.