Sammy and Co. put India on the backfoot on Day 2

17 wickets fell on Day 2 of the Kotla Test with West Indies looking a tad better than the hosts.

Vineet Ramakrishnan/Zeenews Sports

New Delhi: It was an eventful Day 2 at Kotla which saw 17 wickets falling on a crumbling patch with West Indies nose tip ahead at the end of the day. The West Indies scorecard read 21/2 at stumps on Day 2, with a lead of 116 runs over the home team. Scorecard: IND Vs WI » It all started off with Ojha (6/72) continuing his good form from Day 1 to skittle out West Indies for 304 with a little help from Ashwin who scalped three wickets. Then the Delhi duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir took it on themselves to entertain the crowd and they did that in style racing to 89 in just 12.3 overs. But two freak dismissals opened the floodgates for the Windies who came back strongly in the second session scalping the all important wicket of Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. If that was not enough, the icing on the cake was provided by captain Darren Sammy at the start of final session who came up with a superlative spell of seam bowling in which he wiped out the lower middle-order to put India on the backfoot. Amidst the chaos, Rahul Dravid once again stood tall with a well compiled and dogged 54 runs which helped India go past the 200-run mark. Ishant stuck in there briefly but Ravi Rampaul made little work of tail to bundle out India for 209. West Indies thus took a very important lead of 95 runs. The final act though was completed by Ashwin and Ojha who removed both the West Indian openers Powell (0) and Brathwaite (2) leaving the Kirk Edwards (15*) and night watchman Fidel Edwards (0*) on the crease with 21/2. Final Session: Sammy and Co. put India on the backfoot Dhoni had tossed the new ball to Ashwin in the second innings of West Indies and the offie returned with the wicket of Kerion Powell in the very first over. Ojha then scalped Brathwaite for 2 runs. Windies ended Day 2 at kotla with 21 on board. In the first innings, Ravi Rampaul scalped Rahul Dravid and Umesh Yadav in successive deliveries to skittle out India for a meagre total of 209 thus taking a substantial lead of 95 runs. Dravid went for a well made 54. Earlier, after some dogged resistance Ishant Sharma was scalped by Marlon Samuels for 17. Sharma supported Dravid briefly with a 49 run partnership. Again, Sharma fell immediately after the drinks break. Rahul Dravid once again stood his ground and along with a stubborn Ishant Sharma went past 200-run mark. In the process the veteran also reached his 60th half century. From 89 for no wicket to 154 for 7, India were in total disarray immediately after the tea break as captain Darren Sammy produced the spell of the day removing Yuvraj, Dhoni and Ashwin in quick succession to leave India tottering. Yuvraj failed to seize the oppurtunity once again after a promising start falling prey to a lazy shot. It was a juicy half volley from Sammy which Yuvraj (23) hit straight to extra-cover. The same over saw Dhoni misreading a Sammy in-swinger to lose his wicket for nought. Sammy then struck again next over as Carlton Baugh produced another brillant piece of keeping, moving in position to take a tough leg-side catch of Ashwin. Second Session: Windies put India in a spot of bother Going into tea, West Indies came back well with quick wickets after the inital onslaught by the two Delhi openers. Sehwag cracking 46-ball 55 and Gauti run a ball 41. It was the spin of Devendra Bishu which caused the problems but Fidel Edwards aslo bowled consistently in his second spell to keep the pressure on India. Bishoo took quick wickets of Sehwag and Laxman. The uneven bounce proved to be a major distraction. Fidel Edwards trapped Sachin leg before wicket for just 7 as the wait for his all elusive 100th ton was prolonged. The ball nipped back in marginally similar to the no-ball that sehwag got, but this time around Edwards was well behind the popping crease and Rob Tucker was conviced of the LBW. After Gambhir's freak dismissal it was the turn of Sehwag to depart owing to another silly dismissal. Sehwag, who had just reached his first fifty in his last nine innings was looking ominous for West Indies but it was the bowling change which did the trick. The maverick opener was well within his crease while trying to paddle a leg-side delivery by Bishu, but he missed it, while Carlton Baugh collected the ball and whipped the bail at the right time, Sehwag had lifted his leg when he lost his balance. Gautam Gambhir was run-out for 41 at the non-striker's end as Windies got a lucky breakthrough. Darren Sammy managed to get fingertips to the ball which was hit staight back at him by Sehwag eventually hitting the non-strikers' stump with Gautam Gambhir out of his crease. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were coasting along at a blistering pace with both the batsmen maintaining a strike-rate of over 100 with an innings run-rate of over six. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir made light work of Windies bowling attack early on with a brisk 50-run partnership. First Session: Ojha takes top honours The Delhi duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir took on the Windies bowling attack and got off to a speedy start at the stroke of lunch after Pragyan Ojha wrapped up the Windies tail in no time on Day 2 of the Kotla Test. West Indies bowlers also had their share of moments as well with Fidel Edwards finding the edge on quite a few occasions but the slip cordon failed to convert the half chances. Edwards even had Viru bowled emphatically only to be denied by umpire Rod Tucker’s very close no-ball call. Indian bowlers took top honours in the first session bowling out Windies for 304 courtesy a superlative spell of 6/72 by Ojha. Ashwin finished with three scalps. The duo of Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards had taken West Indies past the 300 run-mark, but Rampaul departed immediately after giving Ashwin his third wicket of the innings. Indian bowlers needed to be assertive in the first session and they did exactly the same with three quick wickets. Ishant Sharma also got a wikcet on Day 2 with a little help from the uneven Kotla pitch getting the prized wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul for 118 runs. Pragyan Ojha got his second scalp of the day in his second over itself completing his first ever 5 wicket haul in Test cricket. Darren Sammy got out to rather rash shot after he had hit the previous delivery straight over mid-on for four runs. Praghyan Ojha continued his good form from Day 1 to provide an early breakthrough on Day 2 in the form of Carlton Baugh. Ojha’s confidence was very much evident as even in his first over the tweaker gave a good loop to the ball as Carlton Baugh went down for a sweep and he failed to judge the loop playing his shot a bit too early only to be trapped LBW. This was Ojha’s fourth wicket of the innings. West Indies looking to pile up some quick runs were off to a decent start on Day 2 with centurion Chanderpaul looking solid as ever along with keeper Carlton Baugh. Earlier on Day 1, Experienced hand Shivnarine Chanderpaul faced little trouble from a new-look Indian bowling attack and completed his 24th Test hundred with ease on Day of the Kotla Test. West Indies finished the day 256/5 at stumps.