WI A vs IND: Rahane, Vihari make the most of final practice day

India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari used the final day of the three-day practice match against West Indies A at Antigua to gain valuable batting time. Vihari top-scored with an impressive 64 whereas Rahane showed promise with his sturdy 54. Indian bowlers snapped three wickets before ending the match in a draw.

Also read: WI A vs IND: Indians dominate second day with the ball

Resuming the day on 84/1, Vihari was the first to fall on the team score of 118. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja had a chance to get some runs under their belt but both returned to the pavilion without much trouble to the scorers. At the other end, Rahane batted solidly. He fell soon after his fifty which brought Wriddhiman Saha and R Ashwin at the crease. The Indian team declared soon at 188/5.

India used five bowlers in the West Indies innings to bowl 21 overs. Jasprit Bumrah, R Ashwin and R Jadeja picked a wicket each. All three bowlers had gone wicketless in the first innings. West Indies finished the day at 47/3 with their target being an impossible 305 runs.

Both the teams, India and West Indies, began their World Test Championship campaign with a two-match Test series. The first Test begins on 22nd August at Antigua in Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Virat Kohli’s team is currently the number one ranked Test side in the world while West Indies languish at the eighth spot.

Brief Scores:

India 297/5 dec. (Cheteshwar Pujara 100, Rohit Sharma 68; Jonathan Carter 3/39) and 188/5 dec. (Hanuma Vihari 64, Ajinkya Rahane 54; Akim Frazer 2-43) drew with West Indies A 187 (Kavem Hodge 51; Umesh Yadav 3-19) and 47/3 (Ravindra Jadeja 1-3)

That will be Lunch on Day 3. #TeamIndia 174/5. Saha 6*, Ashwin 5* pic.twitter.com/RpgMKXNAqs

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 19, 2019