Reuters
Captain of the West Indies, Carl Hooper (right), inspects teammate Ramnaresh Sarwan's face after Sarwan was hit by a rising delivery from India's Zaheer Khan during the second innings of the second Test between India and West Indies in Madras yesterday.MADRAS, India (AP):
VETERAN PACE bowler Javagal Srinath claimed two key wickets yesterday to put India on course for their first Test series triumph over the West Indies in 23 years.
Having played a vital role with the bat to frustrate the West Indies pacemen in the morning session, Srinath returned with the ball to dismiss opener Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul as the tourists slipped to 186 for four in their second innings.
The West Indies faced a first-innings deficit of 149 runs and by the close of play were just 37 runs ahead of India. Ramnaresh Sarwan was batting on 62 and Ryan Hinds on one.
India, who won last week's first Test in Bombay by an innings and 112 runs and are looking to clinch their first series victory against West Indies since 1979, resumed their first innings yesterday on 190-5.
An impressive batting show by their tailenders helped India gain a firm grip on the match, ending with 316, in reply to the West Indies first innings total of 167.
Overnight batsman V.V.S. Laxman added just six runs to his overnight score of 18 before becoming rookie off-spinner Gareth Breese's first Test victim when he failed to control a drive and offered the bowler a return catch.
But then India's lower-order batsmen defied the West Indies bowlers for three hours, with Srinath and Harbhajan Singh playing crucial knocks, helping India put on 112 runs for the last four wickets.
Singh's 43-ball knock of 37 and Srinath's 35-ball 39 took the initiative away from the visitors, who paid a heavy price for flooring six catches during the Indian innings.
Willing to take his chances, Singh hit five boundaries and one six. Pace spearhead Mervyn Dillon, who claimed three wickets for 44 runs, tested him with a series of short-pitched deliveries, but the undaunted Singh kept swinging.
Before he was bowled by Pedro Collins, Singh benefitted from three dropped catches. He also shared a 51-run stand with wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel, who hung on to add 22 runs to his overnight score of one.
The West Indies started disastrously the second time when paceman Javagal Srinath had left-hander Gayle caught by Anil Kumble at third man. Gayle sent the rising ball flying as he tried to cut it.
Opener Wavell Hinds hit a composed 107-minute knock of 61 and shared a 96-run stand for the second wicket with Sarwan to steady the innings, but it all seemed in vain as Shivnarine Chanderpaul and skipper Carl Hooper fell before close.
Hinds fell two balls after he swung Singh for a six over midwicket, and was trying to repeat the feat, caught by Sourav Ganguly at short midwicket. He struck eight boundaries in compiling his ninth half-century in 26 Tests.
Chanderpaul perished after scoring just three runs as he tried to flick Srinath, only to turn the ball straight into Singh's hands at square-leg.
Skipper Hooper asserted his command over the Indian spinners and twice smashed Kumble out of the ground, but his 100-minute innings of 46 ended just before close when Kumble had him caught behind by Patel.
Floodlights were needed for play to start an hour early yesterday as the umpires, David Shepherd of England and Asoka de Silva of Sri Lanka, sought to make up for 20 overs that were lost the previous day.
