Skipper’s unbeaten 143 and Dhawan’s steely 84 steer visitor to 302 for 4 at close on day one of first Test
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Virat Kohli (143*) and Shikhar DHawan (84) helped India reach 302/4 at the end of Day 1. Twitter[/caption]Internet Desk: The day should have belonged to Shikhar Dhawan and could’ve gone to West Indies but Virat Kohli took ownership of proceedings in commanding fashion at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. India, having won an important toss and electing to bat first scored 302/4 at stumps on Day 1 in the first test with Captain Kohli remaining unbeaten on 143 with Ashwin.
It was Shannon Gabriel who breathed early life into the game, bending his back to generate significant pace and bounce on a surface that would eventually prove to be anything but threatening. Gabriel, running in with a relaxed, loping approach at the Curtley Ambrose End, repeatedly troubled the openers with his mighty short balls.
While Dhawan appeared less sure of himself, it was M Vijay who paid the steepest price by a dangerous short ball taking the edge and ballooning up toward the slips cordon to be caught by Kraig Brathwaite after a little juggling.
Cheteshwar Pujara, at No. 3, set his stall out for a long stint out in the middle, defending with determination and displaying the kind of self-denial that irritates and infuriates bowlers in equal measure. While Pujara was doing what he does best, Dhawan transformed into a new gear.
Once Gabriel went out of the attack, having breached the 150kmh mark in an initial spell of 4-2-6-1, things got decidedly easier for the batsmen. Carlos Brathwaite and Jason Holder lacked the ammunition to consistently apply pressure and slowly but surely, India’s renaissance got under way. To give credit where it was due, West Indies’ bowlers stuck to their brief, and bowled with the kind of discipline that made every run a hard-earned one.
India went into lunch with the scorecard showing a reasonable score of 72/1. Devendra Bishoo, the leg-spinner who was not handed the ball at all in the first session, provided the breakthrough immediately after the break. Pujara, overeager to send a short one packing through mid-wicket, was through his pull early, the ball spearing off the outside edge to gully. Pujara, who had seen off 66 balls for 16, fell to the 67th, a delivery that he would hit to the fence in his sleep nine times out of ten.
Kohli looked fresh at the crease and was determined to score something big. He was timing the ball with ease and placed it beautifully through the gaps. Windies bowlers tried to cramp him on his weak zone off side but this time the Indian test captain was very fluent in that zone. Leaving the ball alone with aggressive decisiveness, defending with soft-handed surety and punching with precision, Kohli was in the kind of mood in which he is rarely denied.
Dhawan and Kohli added 105 for the third wicket, and seemed well on their way to a big partnership that would set the game up perfectly, when again the suggestion of a break resulted in a dismissal. Dhawan, who had been pitch perfect in his 84, chose the wrong Bishoo ball to sweep, and when he missed, Aleem Dar had no trouble raising his finger.
Ajinkya Rahane joined Kohli in the middle protecting the partnership and keeping the scoreboard ticking over with hard-run ones and twos. There was much promise to the stand, and as Kohli rushed towards the three-figure mark without the slightest suggestion of nerves, his batting partner misunderstood a flipper from Bishoo and got out for 22.
R Ashwin partnered Virat in the middle, the first time he has appeared at No. 6 in a Test. Ashwin was confident in himself, stretching fully forward to defend and punching sweetly off the back foot when the opportunity provided itself.
Kohli achieved his 12th ton in Tests in just 134 deliveries which is his second fastest in his career. Kohli increased the tempo with Ashwin and started to score some quick runs. A straight drive that was perfection personified and several shots through cover where the batsman watched the ball right onto bat.
Taking leading from the front literally, Kohli showed that there were neither demons in the pitch, depth in the opposition bowling nor jinxes in breaks in play, being unbeaten on 143 when stumps were drawn. India had 302 on the board and though it had lost a couple of wickets more than it would have liked, this was a fine way to start a tour in which there is plenty of cricket to be played yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GByVkepo5hQ
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