Jadeja, bowlers put India in command

RAJKOT: Indian bowlers rattled the West Indies first-innings reply after Ravindra Jadeja smashed his maiden international century as the hosts got a firm grip over the first Test on Friday.

The tourists were tottering at 94 for six at stumps, trailing India by 555 runs in their first innings on day two in Rajkot. Roston Chase, on 27, and Keemo Paul, on 13, were batting at close of play.

But it was the Indian batting that made the world’s top side so dominant as they posted their highest total against the West Indies after declaring on 649-9 at tea. Skipper Virat Kohli hit a landmark ton, top-scoring with 139.

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami then struck early to get the two West Indian openers back in the pavilion for seven runs including stand-in-skipper Kraigg Brathwaite for two.But Jadeja remained the star of the day after making an unbeaten 100. The left-handed batsman stuck around with the lower-order to demolish a toothless West Indian attack.

“Obviously after nine years of international cricket I am scoring a hundred, so it is a special moment,” Jadeja, who made his international debut in 2009 and played his first Test in 2012, said.

“Whenever I reached 70-80 in the past I thought about my hundred, but threw my wicket away. I have made big hundreds in the domestic circuit, so I thought I can get hundreds in the international level too.”

Jadeja — playing his 38th Test — also got a wicket after sending back Sunil Ambris, who had scored 114 not out in his side’s only tour game last week, for 12.The all-rounder though had a near-miss moment on the field when he playfully waited to run out Shimron Hetmyer who was scampering back to reach the non-striker’s end.

Jadeja though hit the stumps with the batsman well short of the crease but his teasing act tested the nerves of the Indian fielders including Kohli.“Both batsmen were at the same end, so I thought I could easily hit the stumps. I was just walking at the stumps, and I didn’t think he (Hetmyer) will start running,” jadeja said with a smile.

“I can’t think what would have happened if I hadn’t hit the stumps, but then I threw it and luckily it hit the stumps.”Earlier Kohli became the quickest batsman to reach 24 Test centuries since the great Donald Bradman in the morning session.

Kohli put together 133 runs for the fifth wicket with overnight partner Rishabh Pant, who made a quickfire 92.Kohli, who started on his overnight score of 72, got to his hundred in his 123rd innings with a boundary off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo. Bradman took just 66 innings to achieve the same feat.

India rammed home the advantage after 18-year-old opener Prithvi Shaw made 134 on day one to become their youngest batsman to score a century on debut.The left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman Pant brought the morning alive with his attacking cricket as he hit eight fours and four sixes during his 84-ball blitz to flatten West Indies.

India won toss

India 1st Innings

P Shaw c & b Bishoo 134

L Rahul lbw b Gabriel 0

C Pujara c Dowrich b Lewis 86

*V Kohli c Bishoo b Lewis 139

A Rahane c Dowrich b Chase 41

†R Pant c Paul b Bishoo 92

R Jadeja not out 100

R Ashwin c Dowrich b Bishoo 7

K Yadav lbw b Bishoo 12

U Yadav c Lewis b Brathwaite 22

M Shami not out 2

Extras (b9, lb1, nb4) 14

Total (9 wickets dec, 149.5 overs) 649

Fall: 1-3, 2-209, 3-232, 4-337, 5-470, 6-534, 7-545, 8-571, 9-626

Bowling: Gabriel 21-1-84-1, Paul 15-1-61-0, Lewis 20-0-93-2, Bishoo 54-3-217-4, Chase 26-1-137-1, Brathwaite 13.5-1-47-1

West Indies 1st Innings

*K Brathwaite b Shami 2

K Powell lbw b Shami 1

S Hope b Ashwin 10

S Hetmyer run out 10

S Ambris c Rahane b Jadeja 12

R Chase not out 27

†S Dowrich b K Yadav 10

K Paul not out 13

Extras (b8, lb1) 9

Total (6 wickets, 29 overs) 94

To bat: D Bishoo, S Lewis, S Gabriel

Fall: 1-2, 2-7, 3-21, 4-32, 5-49, 6-74

Bowling: Shami 6-2-11-2, U Yadav 7-1-14-0, Ashwin 7-0-32-1, Jadeja 5-1-9-1, K Yadav 4-1-19-1

Umpires: Ian Gould and Nigel Llong (England). TV umpire: Bruce Oxenford (Australia). Match Referee: Chris Broad (England)

II

Shadab injury rules out twin leg-spinners attack

Ag AFP

DUBAI: Pakistan’s hopes of coming at Australia with a rare two leg-spinner combination have taken a hit with Shadab Khan all but ruled out of the opening Test in Dubai starting Sunday (tomorrow).

Shadab has yet to recover from a groin injury he picked up during the Asia Cup, though Pakistan remain hopeful he will be fit for the second Test in Abu Dhabi.

Shadab’s absence will come as a blow. Earlier this summer, while Pakistan were on tour to England, Mickey Arthur was relishing the prospect of unleashing Yasir Shah and Shadab in tandem at teams in the UAE.

That tour was a breakthrough of sorts for Shadab in the longer format. Though his numbers shine with bat in hand — three fifties across the three Tests in swinging conditions — there were signs that his leg-spin was developing too. He was far from the finished product, but a vast improvement from his Test debut in Bridgetown in April 2017.

Pakistan have not been historically averse to playing two leg-spinners in the same Test XI. Abdul Qadir and Mushtaq Ahmed played a Test together in 1990 against West Indies. Mushtaq played a couple of Tests with Danish Kaneria in 2003.

And though Shahid Afridi was an all-rounder, his leg-spin accompanied that of Kaneria in as many as 17 Tests.In the 60s and 70s, Intikhab Alam and Mushtaq Mohammad played together many times, both all-rounders strictly speaking but both also leg-spinners.