Publications
Partners
North Sound - Ajinkya Rahane was within touching distance of a tenth Test century as India tightened the screws on the West Indies in reaching 287 for four in their second innings at lunch on the fourth day of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday.
Rahane, who top-scored with 81 in the tourists' first innings total of 297, will resume in the afternoon session on 90 in partnership with Hanuma Vihari, who has contributed 57 so far to a century stand for the fifth wicket as the top-ranked Test team seeks to build even further on a formidable overall advantage which now stands at 362 runs.
After labouring through a wicketless final session of day three, the West Indies struck in the second over of the morning when Roston Chase removed Virat Kohli before the Indian captain had added to his overnight score of 51.
Attempting to turn a full-length delivery to the on-side, the ball took a leading edge for John Campbell to take the catch at the second attempt at short extra-cover and give Chase his third wicket of the innings.
However Vihari, who scored an unbeaten century as captain of the Indian 'A' team against their West Indies counterparts in an unofficial Test two weeks earlier in Trinidad, started positively and not even the introduction of the second new ball could stem the flow of runs.
West Indies captain Jason Holder would have been relying on his two premier pacers -- Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel -- to make further inroads into the Indian batting line-up.
However, Gabriel seemed to be troubled by a foot injury while good fortune continued to evade the impressive Roach.
It left Holder himself to shoulder much of the bowling responsibility as Miguel Cummins, the fourth of the seam bowling options for the home side, was again off the field nursing an injury for much of the morning session.
By the time the lunch interval was approaching the West Indies looked a deflated team on the field as runs flowed off the bats of Rahane and Vihari, the hundred partnership coming up with a single off the last delivery off the session to confirm the extent of India's dominance of a session where they added 102 runs off 29 overs for the loss off only Kohli's wicket.
