WI vs IND: 2nd Test, Day 4 – Rain and Ashwin set up an interesting final day
Day 4 of the second Test between the West Indies and India was full of ups and downs for the hosts. On a rain-ridden day, the hosts cling to their batting prowess as they aim to chase down a big target on Day 5. The proceedings of Day 4 began with the Windies batting at 229 runs for five wickets with Alick Athanaze and Jason Holder on strike.
As the middle order aimed to minimize their trail as much as possible, the Indian bowling attack did a commendable job of limiting them in the first innings. Taking five wickets, Mohammed Siraj was the star for India in the first innings as his spell was crucial in bundling the West Indies out for 255 runs.
Coming in to bat with a marginal lead, team India bashed the hosts’ bowling attack as openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma amassed 38 and 57 runs to their names, respectively. Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan followed it up with scores of 29* and 52* runs, respectively. As rain disrupted play throughout the Indian second innings, the visitors declared the innings at a score of 181 runs, therefore setting a target of 365 runs to chase down for the West Indies.
Ravichandran Ashwin strikes early to provide momentum
Aiming to chase the target of 365 runs down, the West Indies got off to the worst of starts as skipper Kraigg Brathwaite was sent packing by Ravichandran Ashwin in the early stages of the second innings. Brathwaite only managed to score 28 runs in 52 deliveries before he was sent back to the pavilion.
Furthermore, things went from bad to worse for the hosts as Ashwin struck again and Kirk McKenzie was dismissed for a duck. By the time stumps were called on Day 4, the Windies found themselves at a score of 76 runs with the loss of two wickets. The hosts require 289 runs to win on Day 5, and it could be interesting to see whether India are able to clinch the Test series or if the hosts can pull off an upset.