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Sarwan keeps West Indian hopes alive

Faisal Shariff

India vs West Indies: 2nd Test: Day 3 Chennai, India Report status: Stumps

Scorecard Stats: Day 2

Thanks to a defiant unbeaten 62 by Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies, with a slender lead of 37 runs, ended Day 3 of the Chennai Test at 186-4.

Bad light ended play with India one wicket away from running through the West Indian lower order and wrapping up the three-Test series.

With 'keeper Ridley Jacobs in woeful batting form and Ryan Hinds searching for runs, the Windies will look to a long innings from Sarwan to harbour any hopes of staying in the game.

Morning session:

The Chidambaram stadium was floodlit as play started early to make up for lost time on Friday.

India's overnight batsmen, V V S Laxman and Parthiv Patel, began watchfully with overcast conditions making batting difficult on a slow wicket.

Varying his approach to the wicket, off-spinner Gareth Breese forced Laxman to return a simple catch for 24 (204-6).

Though Breese had to wait for 20 overs for his maiden Test scalp, he justified his inclusion at the expense of leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo.

Harbhajan Singh provided notes of genuine comedy, playing unorthodox shots to pick up some quick runs. It, however, failed to amuse the West Indian bowlers, especially Mervyn Dillon.

Harbhajan shaped up to tip a bouncer from Dillon over the slips for four and missed. Pleasantries were exchanged between the duo with Harbhajan insisting that he would keep trying such shots.

The 22-year-old survived at seven when the fielder at forward short-leg, Wavell Hinds, grassed a bat-pad chance off Breese. Harbhajan then danced down the track to hit Breese's next ball over long-on for six and then reverse swept the Jamaican to the point fence for four.

Skipper Carl Hooper stood at first slip trying to figure out how to make his fielders hold on to catches. It was easily the worst that the Windies had fielded all season, with Harbhajan alone getting four chances.

Hooper had another reason to be sour, as his decision to take the second new ball backfired with the Indians scoring more freely. Patel pulled Jermaine Lawson for a boundary as he put together a 51-run partnership off 70 balls with Harbhajan.

Harbhajan shred the MCC copybook during his stay at the crease by pulling, reverse sweeping, and heaving across the line for a quick-fire 37 off 43 balls. Finally Dillon broke through his defences with a ball that moved a shade in (255-7).

With the lead nearing a hundred runs, the West Indies had let the Indians off the hook. Javagal Srinath, having rediscovered his batting form, struck a few hearty blows to swing the advantage India's way.

In one particular over, Srinath smashed a huge six and a four off Breese before Patel, trying to get into the act, was stumped for 23 (281-8).

India went into lunch at 300-8, leading by 133 runs and Srinath undefeated on a 29-ball 36.

Post-lunch session:

India could add only 16 runs to the total before the last two batsmen were shown the way to the pavilion. Srinath was run out by a direct throw from Hinds after Anil Kumble refused a run. Zaheer Khan, too, was found short of his crease when he played the ball to Hinds at forward short-leg and set off.

Still, India had piled up a substantial lead of 149 runs. And Srinath struck gold right away in the second innings when Chris Gayle slashed at a widish delivery outside off and offered a running catch to Kumble at the third-man fence. The West Indies lost their first wicket without a single run on board and it seemed like Virender Sehwag's prediction of a result within four days would be belied by a result inside three days.

But that was not to be as Hinds and Sarwan meshed together a 90-run partnership at almost four runs an over.

Sarwan, though, was lucky to survive a caught behind appeal off Zaheer. Replays confirmed that the ball had touched the glove.

It was all West Indies after that, with the Indian spinners coming in for special treatment from Sarwan, who slammed two sixes off Harbhajan.

The left-handed Hinds constantly looked to make runs. He cut and carved audaciously, reaching his half-century with his eighth boundary.

Both batsmen used their feet very well to the spinners Harbhajan and Kumble, taking 60 runs off the 13 overs they bowled.

West Indies took tea at 90-1, trailing by 59 runs.

Post-tea session:

The batsmen came out looking to take the fight to the opposition. Hinds, with a half-century under his belt, sent Harbhajan packing into the stands for a six. However, he found Sourav Ganguly at mid-wicket while trying to repeat the stroke.

Hinds's recklessness cost his team a crucial wicket at the wrong time. Having got the measure of the wicket, Hinds should have encashed on his form and played on (96-2).

Eleven runs later Shivnarine Chanderpaul flicked Srinath straight to Harbhajan at mid-wicket to hand the initiative back to the Indians (107-3).

But Sarwan and Hooper saved the West Indies the blues with an assertive partnership. Hooper decided to go after Kumble, slamming two sixes in one over.

Sarwan, keen to make his first major contribution on the tour, matched Hooper's stroke-play with a will of steel. India's decision to attack gave enough opportunities to the West Indian batsmen to score runs at a brisk pace.

Despite being hit on the grill by a bouncer from Zaheer, Sarwan managed to score his maiden half-century of the series off 118 balls. Overall it was the 14th half-century for Sarwan, who is yet to reach the three-figure mark.

The 72-run partnership was broken via an unfortunate decision against Hooper by umpire David Shepherd. The Windies skipper failed to read a Kumble googly; the ball seemed to pass between his bat and pad into the keeper's hands. Replays confirmed that there was no contact with the gloves or the bat (179-4).

Hooper returned to the pavilion for 46 off 58 balls. Though not a man who believes in public display of emotions, Hooper shook his head in disgust, knowing well that the chance of clawing back into the match may have been lost.

The left-handed Ryan Hinds joined Sarwan in the middle and they batted till bad light ended day.