India vs West Indies, Second Test: 3 things we learned from Day 2
In an absorbing second day of the ongoing Test match between India and West Indies at Hyderabad, both the teams were in the game for an equally good period of time.
Riding on the back of Umesh Yadav's quick spell in the morning, India wrapped up West Indies for merely 311 runs. Yadav registered his best figures of 6 for 88 in Test cricket and his only second 5-wicket haul in his career. However, later in the day in the second session, it was for the first time that the visitors looked to dominate with the ball in the entire series.
Jason Holder and Co. struck thrice in the Post-Lunch session to push India on to the backfoot with a prized scalp of Virat Kohli for just 45. But the bowling group failed to capitalize as the partnership between Rahane and Pant helped India end the day with a slight edge over the visitors.
India still has the batting to follow with Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin equally capable of scoring runs in such conditions. The duo saw the third session unscathed as India went into stumps with 308 runs for the loss of 4 wickets still trailing by 3 runs in the first innings.
Here's a look at three things we learned from the play on Day 2:
#3. West Indies missed their skipper at Rajkot severely
Jason Holder, the skipper is the vital cog in the wheel for the West Indies, especially in the longest form of the game. The 26-year old might be young but boasts of enough experience in this format of the game. He's a crucial player for his side not only as a skipper but also as an all-rounder who adds a great amount of value to his side, both with bat and ball.
The visitors severely missed his services in the first Test as they were decimated by the hosts and were a no match to the Virat Kohli-led side. Windies looked in all sorts of trouble at Rajkot as Holder's absence was visibly felt. In this game, he contributed with the bat yesterday and even got the wicket of Kohli and Rahul with the ball.