Barbados: After bowling India out for a below-par 201, West Indies' first innings got off to a disastrous note too. The home side lost three wickets for 30 runs when the stumps were drawn on the opening day of the second Test at the Kensington Oval on Tuesday.
The home side lost their openers – Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons – inside five overs with just five runs in their kitty.
Ishant Sharma got Barath (3) caught by Virat Kohli at gully, while Simmons (2) had no answer to the devious swing of Praveen Kumar. He gave an equally simple catch to MS Dhoni behind the wickets.
At the close of play, Ramnaresh Sarwan was batting on 10, while night-watchman Devendra Bishoo joined him to face the last delivery of Abhimanyu Mithun, who dismissed Darren Bravo (9) on the previous delivery.
Earlier, Indian wickets fell like ninepins after tea and their first innings was wrapped up for 201 by some consistent bowling by Fidel Edwards and Devendra Bishoo during the last session of the opening day.
VVS Laxman and Suresh Raina shared an invaluable 117-run stand for the fifth-wicket and revived the visitors’ innings, which was once tottering at 38/4 in the day’s first session.
Laxman, though, couldn't reach his three-figure mark, but the classy right-hander, in his 85-run knock, ensured that the Indian innings didn't fold up for a low score.
He was ably supported by Raina, who played some exquisite strokes for his well-compiled 53.
For the home side, Ravi Rampaul was by far the best bowler on the park as he destroyed India's top order with his pace and bounce. He finished with three wickets, while Edwards and Bishoo, too, contributed with the same number of wickets.
India lost quick wickets late in the afternoon after tea. Raina once again fell to a poor umpiring decision as he was given out by Asad Rauf when the ball seemed to have touched the left-hander's thigh pad and no part of his bat.
His wicket was followed by Dhoni’s dismissal. The Indian captain gave a simple catch to Shivnarine Chanderpaul at mid-on to prolong his unimpressive run with the bat.
Dhoni was asked by umpire Ian Gould to wait until he confirmed whether Fidel Edwards' delivered a no-ball. But TV replays confirmed that the bowler's front leg was behind the crease and Indian skipper had to continue his walk back to the pavilion.
Harbhajan, after being peppered by short deliveries by Edwards, lofted a rising ball which was taken brilliantly by a diving Barath standing at short-leg.
Laxman, who had just completed his 8000 runs in Test cricket, then couldn't control his cut shot and was also caught by Barath, this time standing at backward point.
Edwards continued his fiery bowling spell and got his third wicket when he clean bowled Mithun for a duck.
Bishoo folded the Indian innings up when he got Kumar stumped for 12 runs.
Before lunch, Rampaul rocked India with his pace and bounce and left the visitors at 38/4 at one stage.
The West Indian took the shine off India's batting with his magical spell of three wickets in eight overs, giving away just four runs - including five maiden overs – before lunch.
Asked to bat first, India suffered an early setback, losing Abhinav Mukund in just the second over of the day. Fending off a nasty bouncer by Rampaul, Mukund (1) gloved a simple catch to Marlon Samuels standing at gully.
And the visitors' score didn't even reach the double-figure mark when the opposition skipper Darren Sammy got the wicket of 'Wall' Rahul Dravid (5).
Sammy's scrambled-seam delivery pitched on a good length, taking the shoulder of Dravid's bat en route to Carlton Baugh's gloves.
Opener Murali Vijay (11) and Laxman weathered the storm after the early slump, adding 30 runs for the third wicket.
Laxman pulled Sammy towards midwicket for the first four of the morning, the 89th delivery of the innings. The next boundary too came via pull by the same batsman, this time against Edwards but a good nine overs after the first four.
But the good-looking partnership halted when Vijay (11) was caught by Baugh on a ball angling down the leg side.
Rampaul struck again when Virat Kohli (0) couldn't make a decision to leave or play the rising delivery of the tall bowler.
Going into the match, Dhoni decided to persist with Vijay and Mukund to open the innings. However, in bowling India chose to go in with an extra seamer in the form of Mithun at the cost of leg-spinner Amit Mishra.
West Indies added Marlon Samuels, who was drafted into the XI in place of out-of-favour Brendan Nash.
In Pics: West Indies vs India, 2nd Test, Day 1
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