Indian skipper, Virat Kohli lost the toss on a green surface at Sabina Park in Jamaica. The track had assistance for both pace bowlers as well as the spinners. Thus, it was a no-brainer that Jason Holder opted to bowl first. While the hosts made two changes to their eleven, India went with an unchanged side. West Indies roped in Rahkeem Cornwall and Jahmar Hamilton in place of Shai Hope and Miguel Cummins.
It was quite tricky for the batsmen and survival was tough. It was KL Rahul who fell first after scoring 13 runs. Holder produced a beauty after there was nothing off the pitch in the first 30 minutes. The 27-year-old was squared up and left his bat hanging in the air. The ball kissed his outside edge and Rahkeem Cornwall at first slip made no mistake.
Then, the day only got better for the debutant as he managed to dismiss Cheteshwar Pujara. It was a third successive failure for the number three and he was done by the extra bounce this time. He tried to open the phase and hit the ball on the offside. However, because of the height from which it came from, the ball bounced a little bit more than he anticipated and, in the process, sliced it to the man at backward point.
After these early jolts, Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal tried to reconsolidate. They played cautious cricket but ensured that they kept the scoreboard ticking. Once both these men got their eye in, they began to dominate the opposition with a memorable partnership. But it was Jason Holder yet again who provided the breakthrough by dismissing Mayank for 55.
Ajinkya Rahane was nicked off by Kemar Roach for 24 runs. Though Virat Kohli was going strong at one end and it seemed as if he’d get to yet another Test hundred. However, while he was on 76, Holder squared him up with a brilliant out-swinger. In the last few months, the Indian skipper has failed to convert a fifty into hundred on quite a few instances and this was another one of those.
At the close of play, India finished with 264/5. While Hanuma Vihari is batting on 42, Rishabh Pant is going strong on 27. Twitterati applauded Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal for their efforts. They also enjoyed the bowling spell from Jason Holder.
Brief Score:
India: 264/5 in 90 overs (Virat Kohli 76, Jason Holder 3/39)
