Ahmedabad: KL Rahul’s 11th hundred grounded the West Indies before Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja followed the suit with stylish tons as India literally batted the visitors out of the opening Test taking a huge lead of 286 runs at the end of second day’s play.
At stumps, India were 448 for 5 and with the West Indies spinners getting appreciable turn and bounce off the rough, the hosts will like to finish the game by the end of the third day itself and consolidate their position in the World Test Championship points table.
Rahul (100 off 197 balls), Jurel (125 off 210 balls) and Jadeja (104 batting off 178 balls) had their own distinct approach to Test match batting and even interesting ways of celebrations.
Rahul’s was for his infant daughter while Jurel’s gun salute was for the Indian Army while Jadeja’s now familiar sword celebration is something people wait for.
The West Indies bowling was insipid and there was lack of energy on the field which also enabled India to actually increase their stranglehold on the opposition.
India through 128 overs scored at 3.50 runs per over which is reminiscent of Test cricket from a bygone era but also hit 45 boundaries and eight sixes — five of them by Jadeja, same shot in the same region.
While Rahul brought an end to his century drought at home by hitting his second century since December 2016, Jurel brought up his maiden Test century in only his sixth Test for India having made his debut last year.
Jadeja, whose purple patch saw the venerable all-rounder notching up his seventh score in last six Tests in excess of 50 including two hundreds since the England tour, brought up his sixth century in the format..
Jurel and Jadeja put on 206 runs for the fifth wicket for an imposing fifth-wicket stand, but they also narrowly missed breaking the record for highest fifth wicket partnership for India against West Indies, which belonged to VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar who put on 214 runs at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens in October 2002.
The partnership ended when Jurel, who smacked 15 fours and three sixes got an inside edge off Khary Pierre late in the day to be caught behind for the West Indies debutant’s maiden wicket in Tests.
On the second day, India opted for a traditional approach with the bat to pile up immense pressure on the West Indies, who, at the best, remained disciplined but could not put pressure back on the hosts.
Gill and Rahul resumed India’s innings at 121 for 2 and by drinks in the first session, the deficit of 41 runs was erased with the two batters going about their jobs with ease.
In the 56th over off Pierre, Rahul reverse-swept a ball for a four which was enjoyed thoroughly by the Indian captain who tried to emulate his partner in the next. However, Roston Chase’s (2/90) delivery, which pitched on off, took a leading edge and Justin Greaves in first slip was nimble to move in direction of the ball to grab an easy catch.
Gill, who added 98 runs for the third wicket with Rahul, fell immediately after completing his half-century. His innings had five boundaries.
But Rahul carried on to bring up only his second century at home in nine years and 11th overall. The right-handed batter had scored 199 in the Chennai Test against England in December 2016 and since then a triple-figure score had remained elusive.
Rahul also had his share of luck early on in the first over of the morning when an outside edge of Jayden Seales flew between the wicketkeeper and wide first slip, with neither of the fielders reacting.
However, Rahul too had a fate similar to Gill’s as he fell in the first over post the lunch break. Having defended a few off Jomel Warrican, Rahul drove one but in the air towards extra cover where Greaves took a low catch.
With only 57 runs ahead and second new ball soon to be available to the West Indies, both Jurel and Jadeja pressed on the accelerator to add 44 runs between overs 70 and 80 but slowed down with the scoring once the visitors gave up the old ball after 97 overs.
Jurel began the counter-attack with a six over midwicket — first of the game — sometime after Rahul fell in the first over post resumption and Jadeja soon chimed in with two blows into the stands off Jomel Warrican to make intentions clear.
Jadeja was more belligerent of the two during the counter-attack as he regularly came down the wicket to get his runs, and with five sixes in the innings he also moved past MS Dhoni in the list to have hit most maximums in Tests for India.
With Warrican trying to exploit the rough patches created from bowlers’ footmarks at one end, it became imperative for the Indian pair to take the attack back to the opposition and both Jurel and Jadeja thwarted the threats with perfection.
