Twin centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma put India in total control on Day 2 of the first Test against West Indies in Dominica on Thursday (July 13).
Jaiswal’s unbeaten 143 as well as Rohit’s 103 ensured India ended Day 2 of the Test with a healthy 162-run lead, all but ensuring that a positive result was in the offing for the visitors.
The two openers started the day while approaching their half-centuries, and both of them brought it up with minimal fuss.
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And while neither looked to be too expansive on what was still a turning track, that did not stop the flow of boundaries.
Rohit was the more enterprising of the two on occasion, even hammering a couple of sixes en route to his hundred.
In fact, he even brought up his century with a boundary of Alick Athanaze, dispatching a full toss through the covers.
However, he perished off the very next ball and it gave the West Indies their very first breakthrough of the day.
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The fact that Athanaze, who is making his debut in this Test and is primarily a batsman, was bowling in the first place tells its own tale about the struggles of the home team.
Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite had to use nine different bowlers in the innings, including himself. Besides full-time bowlers Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jomel Warrican and Jason Holder, the Windies used 4 part-timers.
Brathwaite himself rolled his arm over for 6 overs, but Athanaze bowled the most out of the part-timers with 13 overs to his name, including 2 maidens.
Raymon Reifer bowled 3 overs and Jermaine Blackwood bowled 2 on what was a hectic slog of a day for the home team.
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There was a ray of hope for them when, shortly after dismissing Rohit, the home team got rid of new number 3 Shubman Gill as well.
Gill’s first innings in what is his preferred position ended in 11 balls when he edged one off Warrican and Athanaze took a good catch at gully.
However, Virat Kohli then walked out and restored parity. The former Indian skipper took his time, playing the waiting game as he looked to judge the conditions.
It is telling that his 36 runs so far have come with just the one boundary. India will hope that he and Jaiswal can build on this lead even further on Day 3.
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