3 things India need to do right on Day 5 to win the 2nd Test vs West Indies
India will start as the favorites to win the second Test against West Indies on the fifth day of the match at the Queen's Park Oval. A brilliant batting performance in the second innings helped India set a massive 365-run target for the home side yesterday (July 23) in Trinidad.
Earlier in the match, Virat Kohli's century guided India to 438 runs in the first innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Rohit Sharma scored a half-century each for the visitors. Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican accounted for three wickets each.
In reply, West Indies started well in the first innings and crossed the 200-run mark with six wickets in hand. However, the middle order and lower order collapsed, leading to the Caribbean side being all out for 255 runs in the first innings. Mohammed Siraj bagged a five-wicket haul for India.
With less than two days left in the match, India had to play aggressively yesterday on Day 4. Quickfire half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan helped India race to 181/2 dec. in 24 overs. West Indies were 76/2 in the run-chase of 365 at stumps on Day 4.
The Caribbean side needs 289 more runs, while India require eight wickets to win. As mentioned earlier, the visitors are the favorites to win, but here are three things which they need to do right.
#1 India should use spin to trap West Indies
The Caribbean batters do not have much experience of tackling quality spinners. In the first Test at the Windsor Park, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja bagged a total of 17 wickets.
The Day 5 pitch at the Queen's Park Oval should help the spinners. During the fourth day's play, Ashwin bagged two wickets, dismissing captain Kraigg Brathwaite and number three batter Kirk McKenzie. Skipper Rohit Sharma should bowl more overs of spin today (July 24).
#2 India should use pace bowlers wisely
Mohammed Siraj bowled his Test career's best spell in the first innings of this Test match. He breathed fire yesterday and scalped the last four wickets of the West Indies team in quick succession to bowl them out for 255 runs.
Siraj bowled eight overs in the second innings yesterday but could not take any wickets. Captain Rohit Sharma should start the day with Siraj and Mukesh Kumar because the two pacers wrecked the Caribbean batting lineup in the first session yesterday. If they take two or three wickets in the first few overs, the spinners' job will become easier.
#3 Try and take 8 wickets in the 1st session itself
Showers are predicted in Trinidad from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm local time today. Rain has interrupted the proceedings multiple times at the Queen's Park Oval, and there is a chance of an entire session being washed out today.
The forecast for the morning is mostly cloudy with little chances of rain. While it will be a very challenging task, India should aim to take all eight wickets in the first session itself. If rain forces the match into a draw, India will lose eight crucial points in the World Test Championship.