First time in this Test, sun beat down in all its glory to give two full sessions, and despite some early setbacks India were in a position of strength at 102 for two at lunch. But the bizarre dismissals of VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli pegged India back as the visitors went into tea at 182 for five, still 22 runs in arrears.
Laxman scored his third fifty of the series, and looked all set for a long haul. But the introduction of Shivnarine Chanderpaul did the trick for the hosts.
Bowling in Tests for the first time since 2007, the Guyana player tested Laxman with a delivery wide outside the off-stump, and the Hyderabadi left the ball alone.
There was all around surprise when the West Indian players went up in unison appealing for a stumping. The replays showed that Laxman’s feet was above the ground by centimetres when stumper Carlton Baugh whipped the bails off, and third umpire ruled him out.
Kohli, who was looking assured for the first time in the series while adding 52 runs with Laxman for the fourth wicket, tried to guide Darren Sammy down the leg side, and all he could manage was a thin edge to Baugh.
But the day began on a rather expected note, another failure for Murali Vijay. The Tamil Nadu right-hander might be vastly disappointed because the pitch here didn’t contain any demons as it was the case with the strips at Sabina Park and Kensington Oval.
In fact, the sluggishness and knee-high bounce might have reminded Vijay of the sub-continent pitches, but he couldn’t stay on and capitalise.
He flailed at an away swinger from Fidel Edwards, who had to do the bulk of the work since Ravi Rampaul couldn’t take the field due to sickness, for Baugh to complete a simple catch. A bigger surprise awaited the Windies sooner.
Rahul Dravid has been their chief tormentor in this series, negating pacers and spinners with elan while accumulating an impressive amount of runs. So, it wasn’t entirely out of place to expect a Dravid masterclass in conditions tailor-made for him. However, the Bangalorean succumbed to Sammy for the second time in this series, and this time full mark should go to the bowler for breaching the otherwise impregnable defence of Dravid.
The West Indian skipper managed to find the narrowest of gap between Dravid’s bat and pad to rattle the timber, and at 18 for two India were in a bit of a wobbly position. Immense responsibility was on the young shoulders of Abhinav Mukund and on the experienced Laxman, no stranger to crisis.
They added 98 runs for the doughty third-wicket stand that came to an end when Mukund prodded Devendra Bishoo to Adrian Barath to forward short leg.
But before he got out, Mukund showed his class. The Chennai left-hander was cautious to begin with, assessing the pitch and bowlers. But once he settled down, Mukund played some exquisite shots, especially down the V that underscored his class, en route to a fine fifty.
At the other end, Laxman was in his customary unwavering self, offering a broad bat to all comers as India moved serenely towards the safety zone. India’s cause was also helped by the weather that stayed clear from the beginning of the morning session, but the quick wickets towards the end of tea session makes it mandatory for India to play with caution.