🏏West Indies vs India, 2nd Test: Queen's Park Oval -- Thread #2🏏 - Page 25

Hello everyone and a warm welcome to the fifth and final day's play of the second Test between West Indies and India. The visitors have been on top for the majority of this Test, they are favourites to win and take the series 2-0. However, West Indies are still in the hunt. Their captain played a very unlike Brathwaite innings and was that a sign? He batted positively, chased wide ones and scored five boundaries. His innings was cut short by Ashwin when the right-hander tried to play the sweep shot. Debutant McKenzie perished for a duck. Chanderpaul stayed in his bubble and was happy to be defensive. He along with Blackwood made sure that they have eight wickets in hand. 289 runs vs 8 wickets! WI's batting vs spin is likely to be the key battle. Can the home team survive against the Ash-Jaddu duo on a pitch where there's enough assistance for the tweakers? Let's hope that rain doesn't play spoilsport. Stay tuned, action coming your way in 30 minutes...

09:16 Local Time, 13:16 GMT, 18:46 IST: "It is very very wet at the moment," says Ian Bishop on air. It's pelting down and the covers are on. Daren Ganga adds, "We had overnight rain, we are having rain now. North-East direction - that's where the clouds are coming from. Things don't look at the start of day five. The tarps are out and they are filled with puddles of water. The grass is very very damp. My shoes are absolutely drenched, it's soaked. The good fact about Queen's Park Oval is it drains well."

Stuart Williams | West Indies' assistant coach: I'm fortunate because I was with the A-team about a month ago. Four-five guys from that team are here. It's challenging but I look forward to the challenge. (On this Test) It's an improvement from Dominica. It's a young group, it's about embracing the challenge. It's work in progress. They'll definitely improve. It's about backing them. (On day five) It was a bold decision (declaration) but based on the nature of the pitch and their bowling attack ... we back ourselves to chase this down. We are not going to write off anything, we'll assess.

India, in transition, are chasing crucial WTC points right at the beginning of the new cycle. West Indies, in decline, are chasing history. And both India and West Indies are chasing the weather Gods. Welcome to the final day of the second Test between the sides, where the hosts would be scripting nothing short of a miracle if they were to make the further 289 required to win, while the visitors would be running away with another series by bagging the remaining eight wickets.

"Hello. Anyone here? How is the weather looking? I was checking the weather app and it looks like entire day there will be light or heavy rain" ---

In what was yet another rain full of action, the fourth day was nothing short of India's dominance: first Siraj's five-for helped India put one foot inside the door as West Indies lost 5 for 26 in the first innings, before Rohit, Jaiswal and Kishan stepped in too and all but shut the door on the hosts. The visitors raked up 181 in 24 overs soon after, as Rohit hit 57 and Kishan 52*.

Siraj bagged a career-best 5 for 60 in Port of Spain last morning, and Alagappan Muthu couldn't stop but admire: he thinks Siraj is dangerously close to being a complete fast bowler, especially with no Bumrah and Shami around during the Tests in the West Indies.

And, and... it is absolutely pouring down there. Daren Ganga takes shelter under his big, black umbrella while reporting from the field, with conditions being overcast all around. There are puddles of water on the covers, and the grass is "very, very damp", he says. But Ganga believes the drainage at the Queen's Park Oval is a pretty good one, and hopes we can have some action once rain relents.

9.30am Even if the ground dries out rather quickly in Port of Spain, rain is steady, and falling quicker than the pace at which those former West Indies greats would bowl. And in a coincidence, the last time these two sides had met at the same ground was in 2016, and only 22 overs were possible due to non-stop rain. In fact, the stadium had even received the wrath of the ICC.

"Looks like this band of rain should be over in 40 min or so. Another one coming right after lunch around 1 pm" ---