India strengthened their position on Day 2 of the 1st Test against the West Indies on Thursday in Dominica and it was debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal who led the way. At the close of play, the visitors had reached 312/2 with Jaiswal staying unbeaten on 143 in the company of former captain Virat Kohli, who is batting on 36.
Earlier, skipper Rohit Sharma too struck a brilliant ton before he was caught by wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva off Alick Athanaze for 103. Sharma and Jaiswal put on 229 for the opening wicket.
Looking forward to the third day’s action, JioCinema expert Pragyan Ojha said: “Day 2 was out and out Yashasvi’s day, the way he batted and got his maiden Test 100. On Day 3, it’ll be very crucial how Yashasvi starts because it is not easy for a batter on this kind of tricky track to come on and take on the bowlers. So, as Yashasvi gets his eyes in, I am pretty sure that he will look to dominate a few bowlers and raise the scoring rate.”
Resuming on an overnight 80/0, India added 232 runs and lost the wickets of Sharma and Shubman Gill (6 runs). So, is the stage set for Kohli to take charge on Day 3? Ojha said: “When we talk about the wicket it’s very tricky and not that easy for a batter to come and get those runs. We saw initially, Virat was trying to settle down. So, I think the longer time he spends in the middle the better the chances of him scoring the runs. The best thing is India has all the time in the world for them to give that little bit of a cushion where Virat can go out and look for that three-figure mark.”
Ojha also said India should factor in the weather conditions when they decide about the timing of the declaration. “Because they are playing in a coastal area, they have to remember it may rain. And when it rains they must be prepared for it. If overs are lost due to rain, then I think India needs to plan accordingly. I feel somewhere around 300-320 will be a good score where they can put pressure back on West Indies.”
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