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Follow UsWe had mentioned yesterday that the first day of the second Test was attritional cricket of the highest order. It seems like the West Indian openers took it to heart, as they played out 41 overs for just 86 runs.
The words that come to mind while describing the day’s play include composure, endurance, restraint a.k.a boring. As much as we would like to take it out on the players for not putting up anything similar to what we’ve seen unfold in England, the surface on offer has just been as poor.
To say that the surface is lifeless would be an understatement. And to expect batters and bowlers to take charge is just as ridiculous. If the new ball hasn’t seamed much, the older ball hardly spun.
Bowlers have struggled to extract any purchase whatsoever from the surface, and almost only relied on their accuracy. Batters from both teams did capitalise when bowlers faltered. And when that happened, it was the outfield’s turn to intervene. An outfield so slow that balls timed sweetly also crawled along the surface.
Having bowled nearly 250 deliveries without much reward, Indian bowlers will have to work smarter, not harder, to get some wickets. They have to look no further than their opposition to get some inspiration.
In the first couple of sessions, WI pacers were more penetrative than yesterday, and a lot of it had to do with them evidently trying to set batters up a lot more. After finding success with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal yesterday, they decided to go on overdrive with it.
They mainly bowled short of length (6m and beyond), and the odd fuller one helped them add to their wicket tally. But, the strategy came at a cost. Given the lack of anything, really, on the surface, balls bowled short just sat up to be hit.
And hit the Indian batters did. Balls beyond the 8m length fetched Indian batters runs at a strike rate of nearly 80, while anything fuller was milked at a strike rate of a shade above 50. It also helped R Ashwin reach his fifty against West Indies (to go with his four centuries against them).
Things were no different in the third session when the West Indies openers walked into bat. Runs off short balls were scored at a strike-rate of 70, which dipped to below 30 when the ball was pitched any fuller.
This was the case with both teams’ pacers, but if today’s events were anything to go by, it’ll be the spinners shouldering the bulk of the responsibility on Day Three.
Spinners from both sides have been extremely miserly, and if you’re searching for a reason, we’d suggest looking at the surface on offer. Sure, the spinners were as accurate as anyone, but a slightly more receptive surface would have made for significantly better viewing.
If Courtney Walsh feels the need to repeatedly mention on air that this is the “slowest surface” he’s ever seen in Trinidad, we don’t need a second opinion on that.
In Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, India, arguably, have the best spin duo in the world. But, the 24 overs they bowled today would have shown them that the task won’t be as straightforward as it looks.
Both of them predominantly stuck to the 4m - 6m length, pitching over 80% of their deliveries in that region. Had Tagenarine Chanderpaul not been hasty, the opening partnership would have rendered the famed spin duo wicketless.
And since we’re at it, let’s also look at how prolific the current opening pair has been while representing the Caribbean Islands. The fact that they average 55 for the first wicket is already a great start, add the fact that they are the best opening pair in this century (min. 10 innings) to have played for West Indies and the fourth-best overall, and you have a deadly combination.
Come tomorrow - the moving day of the Test, the equation is simple. While the young gun of the opening duo might not play any part in this innings, his opening partner Kraigg Brathwaite will be key in ensuring that WI continues to keep the scoreboard ticking and, eventually, avoid the follow-on.
On the other hand, the visitors will have their task cut out for them as they deal with a softer, older ball. As if the surface wasn’t benign enough, a softer ball will make it that much harder for them to get some turn. With WTC points at stake, the Indians won't be heaving a sigh of relief anytime soon.
