Queen’s Park Oval is hosting the second test of the series between India and West Indies. Hosts elected to bowl, sparking a sense of doubt if that was actually the right decision. The Indian skipper believes that he would have opted to bat first anyway. The decision makes more sense as the pitch is known to favor shooters, with an average run of 302 in the first innings. It drops down to 168 by the time teams reach the fourth innings.
The difference is indeed pretty vast. It is likely to benefit India more. Visitors ended the first day at the loss of 4 wickets and registering 288 runs on the board. Virat Kohli is unbeaten with 87 runs off 161 balls at a strike rate of 54.04. He is joined by the Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who is playing at 8 runs off 36 balls.
Virat Kohli has more limelight on him as he broke three records instantly when he entered the field. The second test match against West Indies marks the 111th test match for the former Indian captain. Also, this is the 500th international match that is seeing him roar like a lion. As for his batting, Kohli took 21 deliveries to bring up the first run. This is a record as his previous number was 19 deliveries in 2011 against the same opponent and in their backyard – Barbados Test.
India is batting smoothly as the game progresses. Losing Yashasvi Jaiswal did not come as a threat, something that the Indies wanted to happen. The reason they chose to bowl first was the plan of being able to capitalize on the potential of their pacers. That did not work, insisting Kraigg experiment with the spinner in the 10th over. Sharma and Jaiswal were quick to pick up on the nervousness. That fueled their shots and aggression for another 100+ runs partnership. In total, the openers were able to bring up 139 runs in 31.4 overs.
The next to depart was Shubham Gill. He is often tagged as the prince of Indian cricket. However, he has flopped two times now. His most recent stats reflect 10 runs off 12 balls. This follows the single-digit mark of 6 runs off 11 balls in the first test, where India played just a single inning to win the match.
Ajinkya Rahane has added to that concern. His first score was 3 runs in 11 balls, and his most recent figure is 8 runs off 36 balls. They could relax at that time on the grounds that the openers were able to bring up a fascinating number of 229 runs through their partnership. Some cricket betting sites are inclined toward India again. They have allocated more chances of landing a draw than the Indies bouncing back for a victory.
Action resumes at 7:30 pm IST. Virat Kohli aims to complete his 29th century. Fans hope that Jadeja concludes the tour on a positive note as well.
