Match report: India v WI - 1st Test, Day 4
First Published : 09 Nov 2011, 19:00
Last Modified : 09 Nov 2011, 13:30
New Delhi, Nov 9: India have beaten the West Indies by five wickets in the Feroz Shah Kotla Test to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series. Needing 124 to win at the start of Day 4, India knocked off the runs for the loss of just three wickets in the post-lunch session.
The hosts had a bit of a jolt early in the day when Fidel Edwards produced a reverse swinging delivery to shatter Rahul Dravid’s stumps after they had added a mere 10 runs to their overnight score of 152. However, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman steadied the Indian innings after the fall of Dravid’s wicket.
Sachin, who had gone past the 15,000-run mark on Day 3 when he hit his 28th run of the innings, looked set to get to his 100th ton today. Needing 67 runs to achieve the landmark at the start of the day, the batting maestro eased his way to an individual score of 76 with some exquisite hits to the fence. Then, with India needing 43 runs to pull off the win, Tendulkar, perhaps over-anxious to get the milestone out of the way, attempted to pull a Devendra Bishoo googly, but was deceived by the low bounce and adjudged lbw by umpire Rod Tucker.
India suffered a momentary hiccup at the cusp of victory as Yuvraj Singh (18) was bowled by Darren Sammy with the score at 275. However, with VVS Laxman (58*) helping himself to his 55th half-century in Tests, India went past the target with five wickets to spare. This was India’s third highest run-chase ever in Tests.
The second Test between the two sides will be played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata starting November 14.
Brief scores: West Indies 1st innings 304 all out in 108.2 overs (Shivnarine Chaderpaul 118, Pragyan Ojha 6/72) and West Indies 2nd innings 180 all out in 57.3 overs (Shivnarine Chaderpaul 47, R Ashwin 6/47) lost to India 1st innings 209 all out in 52.5 overs (Virender Sehwag 55, Darren Sammy 3/35) and India 2nd innings 279/ 5 in 80.4 overs (Sachin Tendulkar 76, VVS Laxman 58*, Darren Sammy 2/56) by five wickets
At end of Day 3: West Indies 1st innings 304 all out in 108.2 overs (Shivnarine Chaderpaul 118, Pragyan Ojha 6/72) and West Indies 2nd innings 180 all out in 57.3 overs (Shivnarine Chaderpaul 47, R Ashwin 6/47); India 1st innings 209 all out in 52.5 overs (Virender Sehwag 55, Darren Sammy 3/35) and India 2nd innings 152/ 2 in 44.0 overs (Virender Sehwag 55, Marlon Samuels 1/28)
At end of Day 2: West Indies 1st innings 304 all out in 108.2 overs (Shivnarine Chaderpaul 118, Pragyan Ojha 6/72) and West Indies 2nd innings 21/2 in 14.0 overs (Kirk Edwards 15*, Pragyan Ojha 1/7); India 1st innings 209 all out in 52.5 overs (Virender Sehwag 55, Darren Sammy 3/35)
At end of Day 1: West Indies 1st innings 256/5 in 91.0 overs (Shivnarine Chaderpaul 111*, Kraigg Brathwaite 63, Pragyan Ojha 3/58, R Ashwin 2/79)
Man-of-the-match: R Ashwin for match-winning figures of nine for 128, the second best by an Indian bowler on debut.
