NEWDELHI,OCT 06:West Indies’ misery on Friday ended at stumps, with Roston Chase (27) battling with Keemo Paul (13), staring at a 555-run deficit with three more days left in the match. It had to be at The Oval last month, but he ran out of partners. Or it could have been at Mohali against England in 2016, but aggression proved too costly. A stroke off the toe-end of the bat ended his bid to get his maiden Test hundred. But not on Friday.Ravindra Jadeja had had enough of Kraigg Brathwaite keeping him contained, bowling fast and into his pads. Jadeja remained patient, but not for long. Another toe-end stroke, but this time he achieved what he had set out for.Putting in a sprint to complete his single, Jadeja kept running, having achieved the elusive Test hundred, jumping in sheer joy, letting out a load roar, and fencing his bat like a sword, as always.The celebration lasted so long that both Jadeja and Mohammed Shami failed to notice the dressing room signal of declaration, a couple of minutes before tea. India soon declared at 649/9 — their highest-ever against the West Indies.Also Read: India vs West Indies, 1st Test day 2 in Rajkot, Highlights: As It happenedThe visitors toiled for breakthroughs for five long sessions, but Mohammed Shami showed them how it is done in a matter of few minutes post tea break. Brathwaite’s off-stump took pounding with the ball nipping back in; Kieran Powell was trapped leg-before.Ravichandran Ashwin dashed West Indies’ hope, beating Shai’s off-stump, and an embarrassing mix-up between Shimron Hetmyer and Sunil Ambris left West Indies tottering, with the Calypso Kings staring at a monumental task on Day Three.In came West Indies’ tormenter-in-chief Jadeja again, to pick up a wicket on his first ball of the contest, getting Sunil Ambris caught at first slip.Later on, Jadeja would have invited his captain’s ire by not running out Hetmyer, teasing the batsman who was at the other end of the pitch after the mix-up. Hetmyer even took his chance, and Jadeja broke the stumps finally from a few yards’ distance.At The Oval, he was stranded on 86 not out, having shaken off the dust on his bat. He then went on to pick 4/79 to mark his comeback. Jadeja returned to the ODI side too, picking up 4/29 against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. Jadeja has been on a rise.West Indies’ misery on Friday ended at stumps, with Roston Chase (27) battling with Keemo Paul (13), staring at a 555-run deficit with three more days left in the match.Virat Kohli had detailed India’s plans of setting new benchmarks with West Indies series, and if it is indeed the start of something new, India have achieved a lot over two days, despite against a depleted and lacklustre West Indies.Prithvi Shaw lit up the first day with a record-setting hundred, Cheteshwar Pujara lorded with 86. Rishabh Pant piled up misery on West Indies with a flurry of sixes on second day morning; Kohli (139) nonchalantly conjured his 24th Test hundred — becoming second-fastest after Sir Don Bradman to get as many — in an innings that featured only 10 fours.India’s new No 1 Shaw and Pujara had added 206 on Thursday, Kohli and Rahane went on for another 105. On Friday, Pant’s blitz saw him racing to an 84-ball 92 (8x4s, 4x6s), outscoring Kohli in a 133-run. stand.He proved his century at The Oval was no flash in the pan, setting himself up for another ton. Each of the West Indies bowler was hammered. A century was there for the taking, but Pant fell eight short of the mark with a leading edge ending his charge.Jadeja came ahead of Ashwin, and rightly so. He played second-fiddle to Kohli as long as the Indian captain was batting, and took charge when Ashwin fell for cheap. Jadeja added quickfire 55 with Umesh Yadav — with the tailender swinging his bat at will for a couple of sixes — and another 23 with Shami. Jadeja cracked five sixes and as many fours to score an unbeaten 100.But India have had a couple of misses too. KL Rahul’s duck on first day left them with three more innings to have their new opening pair settled down. Ajinkya Rahane got yet another start, but failed to build on it.
India vs West Indies: Bowlers put hosts on top after centuries from Kohli & Jadeja on Day 2.
