Windies put up a fight in follow-on

Cricket365
November 16, 2011

While their quest to bounce back from a daunting deficit will still take a mighty effort, the West Indies began their second innings in formidable fashion to move to 195 for three at stumps.

While their quest to bounce back from a daunting deficit will still take a mighty effort, the West Indies began their second innings in formidable fashion to move to 195 for three at at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.

Slumping to 153 all out in the morning session in the wake of Pragyan Ojha's four-for and forced to follow on, 478 runs in the red was at least whittled down to 283 by the close of play on day three of the second Test against India.

Ojha and fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin were not as effective the second time around as they were initially, with a lively pitch gradually resuming its low and slow nature through the afternoon and evening sessions.

Adrian Barath, out for a mere single in the first innings, redeemed himself with a fluid 62 and alongside Kirk Edwards, who weighed in with 60. Instead of converting to weightier knocks, though, both half-centurions perished to soft dismissals to leave their side with an uphill come day four.

Seeing to it that Kraigg Brathwaite's cheap departure didn't kick off the Windies' all too familiar penchant for folding under the pressure, Barath and Edwards added a solid 93-run alliance for the second wicket.

The opener met his demise shortly after tea, edging a wide delivery from a largely ineffective Ishant Sharma to the slip cordon, and the number-three batsman was out some 18 overs later. Eager to see out the day next to Darren Bravo (38 not out), it was not to be for the right-hander as Ishant corrected an otherwise wayward day with a plumb enough lbw decision.

With the potential of a collapse and ever-pressing element to the Windies' batting ranks, Bravo and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (21 not out) dug in defiantly to cap a 98-over day extended by the need to make up for Tuesday's burst of bad light.

Earlier Ojha become the fastest Indian left-arm spinner to clinch 50 Test scalps in his 13th match en route to a fine for-four, while seamer Umesh Yadav pitched in with three scalps as the visitors failed entirely.

In an opening hour when the spinners were expected to dominate entirely after Ojha got rid of Edwards and Ashwin landed the big scalp of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Yadav also held his own.

The fast bowler offered some superb lines in bowling Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels, with Ojha's return to the attack more than enough to wrap up the tail.

Having declared at 631 for seven earlier in the game thanks largely to tons from Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Mahendra Dhoni and sporting a monstrosity of a lead, the home side had no hesitation in enforcing the follow-on.

There is probably no challenging impending series victors India from here on in, but the Windies will do well to at least make their opposition bat again in a bid to snatch a semblance of pride ahead of the third and final Test.