Ashwin ton helps India post 512/6 (Tea Report)

North Sound (Antigua), July 23 (IANS) The departure of the well set Virat Kohli early in the second session, did not have any effect on India's batting as Ravichandran Ashwin completed his ton to put India on 512/6 at tea on the second day of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium here on Friday.

This was Ashwin's third test hundred and he remained not out at 106 of 244 balls. At the other end, Amit Mishra was unconquered on 23.

Among the West Indies bowlers, leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo was the most successful with figures of 3/163 from 43 overs.

With the second ball after lunch West Indies finally struck as pacer Shannon Gabriel got Virat Kohli to edge one onto his stumps. The delivery kept a little low and the Indian skipper who had been middling almost everything en route to his 283 ball 200, for once failed.

Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha next walked out into the middle to join Ashwin and both ensured they had another strong partnership.

Saha was adventurous. Time and again he skipped down the track to loft the spinners.A Once such chip cost him his wicket too as he was out stumped after getting to 40 of 88 balls. The Ashwin-Saha stand Ayielded 71 runs for the sixth wicket.

Mishra tried to step on the scoring rate too after walking in and succeeded in doing so by clubbing a few boundaries.

Earlier, resuming at the overnight score of 302/4, Kohli and Ashwin proceeded to strengthen India's position with some sensible batting.

Playing on a pitch well suited for batting under the sunny Carribbean sky, the duo studiously avoided taking too much risk, focussing instead on keeping the run rate ticking on at a steady slow rate.

They were helped on in no small measure by the toothless West Indies bowling attack. Except for Gabriel and Bishoo, the other West Indies bowlers seemed quite ordinary and never looked capable of taking wickets.

Kohli and Ashwin managed to find the gaps at regular intervals and the latter brought up his half-century in style, sending a Brathwaite delivery to the point boundary with a sublime punch off the back foot.

The skipper was also going great guns at the other end. Kohli, who resumed the second day on a personal score of 143, reached the 150-run mark with a superb pull off Gabriel for a boundary.

He registered the highest score by an Indian captain when he reached the 193-run mark, going past the previous mark set by Mohammad Azharuddin, who made 192 against New Zealand at Auckland in February 1990.

The Indian seemed to slow down a bit and became more cautious as the double century approached, eventually reaching the landmark with a single off Roston Chase.

Brief scores:

India: 512/6 (Virat Kohli 200, Ravichandran Ashwin not out 106.; Devendra Bishoo 3/163) vs West Indies

--IANS

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