The West Indies were hurtling toward another heavy defeat on Tuesday when bad weather offered them a lifeline, washing out most of the fourth day of the second Test against India in Jamaica.
Starting the second innings with a deficit of 304 runs, the home team collapsed to 48-4 at Sabina Park in Kingston, another dismal performance that retired batting great Viv Richards described as “a little bit kindergartenish at times.”
Only 15.5 overs were bowled before lunch after a late start caused by intermittent drizzle and heavy rain throughout the afternoon prevented further play.
Photo: AFP
With a forecast for mainly fine weather yesterday, the Windies looked like going 2-0 down in the four-Test series unless they can somehow survive three full sessions without losing six wickets.
The crushing defeat in the first match in Antigua meant the hosts had lost seven out of eight Tests, drawing the other game.
It took less than three overs on Tuesday for the rot to set in as opener Rajendra Chandrika continued his miserable series, bowled by paceman Ishant Sharma for 1, the ball striking the batsman’s elbow and deflecting onto the stumps.
Fellow opener Kraigg Brathwaite was next to fall for 23 when he skied a short ball from leg-spinner Amit Mishra.
Marlon Samuels then went for a duck, clean bowled by paceman Mohammed Shami, the ball keeping lower than the batsman was expecting and striking his off stump.
Shami picked up another scalp with what proved to be the last ball of the day when Darren Bravo (20), who had looked shaky from the start, fended a short, rising ball to third slip.
It was Bravo’s fourth cheap dismissal in the series. He has made 41 runs in four knocks.
“That looks a very soft dismissal to me,” Richards said while commentating on television. “For a top class batsman that’s weak, very, very weak. Darren Bravo may have to rethink exactly how he’d like to play especially having not been successful against the quicks over the years.”
Richards then became more general in his observations of the West Indies’ batting.
Saying he did not want to sound unduly negative, but could not sugar-coat things, he said: “You cannot be served up sardines and [have] someone saying it’s caviar.”
“Some of the deliveries that got some of these guys out, it looked a little bit kindergartenish at times,” he said.
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