🏏West Indies vs India, 2nd Test: Queen's Park Oval Trinidad🏏 - Page 39

Three sessions of play done; two were comfortably won by India and one by the West Indies.

Jaiswal and Rohit thundered India to a strong start in the first innings. But West Indies struck back with venom after Lunch. The home side took four wickets and stemmed the run flow.

Any hopes of West Indies ending the day in control was quickly snuffed out by a resolute Virat Kohli, who found an ally in Jadeja. The duo has reinstated India in control of the game, with the visiting side sitting pretty at 288/4 at the end of Day 1.

IND 284/4 81 overs

Looking forward to another century from Virat Kohli. 😊

Originally posted by: vijay

Looking forward to another century from Virat Kohli. 😊

https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/sports-news/virat-kohlis-500th-international-match-key-numbers-from-batters-career-ahead-of-milestone-game-12890362.html

It's a historic occasion. The second Test between the West Indies and India, in Port-of-Spain, will be the 100th Test between the two teams. Of the 99 played so far, the West Indies have won 30 and India 23, while 46 have been draws.

So much so, that even a transitioning Indian team started as favorites once again in Trinidad. It has been 21 years since West Indies last failed to lose a Test series against India, and with the odds heavily stacked against them once more, the hosts would be pleased if they did manage to square the series.

The West Indies will be looking to achieve some stability with the bat, and India will hope that Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan spend a considerable time in the middle.

Two days out from the Test, India captain Rohit Sharma said he was not looking to make "any drastic changes". He also backed Ishan Kishan, saying he was "very impressed" with the wicketkeeper's glovework. So it will not be a surprise if India field an unchanged XI.

As far as the teams are concerned, the West Indies are guaranteed to make one change, as Raymon Reifer was dropped from their 13-man squad. India have a difficult choice between continuing with the winning combination and handing debut to young pacer Mukesh Kumar or playing Axar Patel.

To add some more importance to the contest, this will be Virat Kohli's 500th international match and also the 100th Test between India and West Indies.

Pitch and conditions

While the Queen's Park Oval has not hosted a Test since 2018, fast bowlers have always enjoyed the conditions here, registering a much better average (27.39) and strike rate (61.0) as compared to spinners (36.57 and 88.7). Rain is forecast on all five days of the Test, though.

In contrast to the first Test at Dominica, where spin played a part and had a big say in the outcome of the game, this ground has favoured the pacers more over the last decade. With rain expected over the course of the match, it could dictate selection calls for both teams.

Day 2: Parts of day 1 was Bazball and a major part was attritional. That's how day 1 panned out. India started off on a rollicking note. But Windies fought back with four wickets in the middle session. Then Kohli and Jadeja managed to stitch together a 100 plus partnership to end day 1 for India at 288 for 4. West Indies bowlers tried their level best on a docile wicket but the bargain wasn't up to the mark. Rohit and Jaiswal missed out on their tons. But Kohli looks set for a 100. Jadeja has looked solid as well. India would look to pile up the runs but will Windies fight back? The action, trust me, will be a fierce one.

Pitch Report | Daren Ganga and Stacy Ann-King: "There's green grass coming through. The pitch will quicken up as the game progresses. Holder was exceptional and he adjusted his lengths - he bowled slightly fuller and got the first wicket. Warrican was exceptional, pitching in the right areas, he got a number of deliveries to turn. This surface should continue to be good for batting."

Day 2: Parts of day 1 was Bazball and a major part was attritional. That's how day 1 panned out. India started off on a rollicking note. But Windies fought back with four wickets in the middle session. Then Kohli and Jadeja managed to stitch together a 100 plus partnership to end day 1 for India at 288 for 4. West Indies bowlers tried their level best on a docile wicket but the bargain wasn't up to the mark. Rohit and Jaiswal missed out on their tons. But Kohli looks set for a 100. Jadeja has looked solid as well. India would look to pile up the runs but will Windies fight back? The action, trust me, will be a fierce one.

Pitch Report | Daren Ganga and Stacy Ann-King: "There's green grass coming through. The pitch will quicken up as the game progresses. Holder was exceptional and he adjusted his lengths - he bowled slightly fuller and got the first wicket. Warrican was exceptional, pitching in the right areas, he got a number of deliveries to turn. This surface should continue to be good for batting."

The players are out in the middle. The 2nd new-ball is available and will West Indies take it?

Originally posted by: Prizi

The players are out in the middle. The 2nd new-ball is available and will West Indies take it?