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Kingston - Ajinkya Rahane completed a
seventh Test century and Roston Chase claimed his first five-wicket innings
haul as India declared their first innings at 500 for nine in reply to the West
Indies total of 196 on the rain-interrupted third day of the second Test at
Sabina Park in Jamaica on Monday.
Persistent showers prevented any play after
tea and more rain is forecast on the fourth day with the West Indies facing a
massive deficit of 304 runs at the start of their second innings.
India's resolute batting performance
extended through two sessions of play on day three to put the tourists in
complete command and on course for victory and a 2-0 lead in the four-match
series barring protracted intervention by the elements over the remaining two
days of the match.
Indian captain Virat Kohli's declaration
came at the fall of the ninth wicket, when Umesh Yadav miscued a swing at Chase
for West Indies captain Jason Holder to take the catch at midwicket and give
the 24-year-old innings figures of five for 121 off 36.1 overs in just his
second Test match.
Just the day before Chase commented on the
West Indies selectors advising him to work on his bowling even though he was
selected primarily as a middle-order batsman. He had also bowled extensively in
the first Test in Antigua, delivering 34 overs for 102 runs without taking a
wicket in India's only innings at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
In contrast, premier spinner Devendra
Bishoo claimed one wicket for 107 off 35 overs and will be under pressure to
retain his place in the team for the remainder of the four-match series.
Rahane had survived a searching examination
from Holder and benefited from a dropped chance on 65 off Bishoo in the morning
session under clear skies and blistering sunshine. His sixth-wicket partnership
with Wriddhiman Saha reached 98 as 67 runs were added in the two hours' play
before the wicketkeeper-batsman fell leg-before to Holder for 47 on the stroke
of lunch.
That success was no more than the West
Indies captain deserved for an excellent nine-over spell during which Rahane
survived a succession of LBW appeals and struggled to cope with the probing
accuracy of the fast-medium bowler.
As the clouds rolled in and wickets fell at
the other end after lunch, the 28-year-old remained focussed on gradually
extending his side's first innings advantage while also keeping an eye on the
personal milestone, which he duly achieved via an outside edge off Chase for
his 13th four.
In a session twice interrupted by rain,
Chase dismissed Amit Mishra and Mohammed Shami off successive balls. Yadav
prevented the hat-trick, but with Rahane continuing to play cautiously, the
tailender heaved four boundaries in an innings of 19 before another attempted
big hit gave the bowler his fifth victim and prompted the declaration.
Rahane's unbeaten 108 occupied just over five hours in which he faced 237 balls, striking 13 fours and three sixes.
