3rd Test: Ashwin stands firm on testing day

GROS ISLET (St. Lucia): On an excruciating day of Test cricket, India crawled to 234/5 in 90 overs on the first day of the third Test here on Tuesday. The visitors were pegged back by some hostile and accurate West Indies bowling, energetic fielding, a very slow outfield and their own diffidence. However, an unbeaten 108-run sixth-wicket stand between R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha helped India end the day on a high.
At stumps, Ashwin was batting on 75 (190, 4x4) while Saha was on 44 (122 balls, 4x4).
In the morning, Alzarri Joseph made an impressive debut, Shannon Gabriel hustled and hurried the batsmen with his pace and bounce, and the batsmen generally looked to survive rather than dominate… It seemed that the old order was restored, even if for a session only.
It was a throwback to the golden days of West Indies cricket when their fast bowlers took batting line-ups by the scruff of the neck on fast, bouncy Caribbean pitches.
As India went into lunch at 87 for three, Holder would have felt vindicated. He had won the toss and inserted India in on a bouncy track and his pacers made Indian batsmen hop, jump and weave.
The wicket lost some of its life as the day progressed but Indian batsmen continued to struggle. It was Ashwin again who held firm to provide some spine to the innings.
The moment of the first session was Joseph's dismissal of Virat Kohli. Joseph, who, with his boyish looks, seems out of place in a men's game, made one rear up and come in from back of good length and a surprised Kohli could only fend it away to Darren Bravo at first slip. World's top batsman as your first international wicket… not bad for a 19-year old. Dale Steyn, Joseph's hero, would have been proud with this dismissal.
There was some juice in the pitch early on and India needed to play out the session without too much damage. However, Shikhar Dhawan chased a Gabriel delivery going down the leg and edged it to wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich for a soft dismissal and India were nine for one.
Kohli's dismissal put the team under some more pressure before KL Rahul stroked his way to a fifty to bring some balance back into the game. But he was out immediately after reaching 50, failing to keep a Roston Chase delivery down as he tried a flick, getting caught at short fine-leg.
Rahul looked like following up on his career-best effort in the second Test (158), playing some gorgeous drives even as he was tested by the short-pitched stuff. It was not to be.
India made some surprising changes from the team which played in the drawn second Test in Jamaica. Cheteshwar Pujara, Amit Mishra and Umesh Yadav were dropped and replaced by Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar respectively.
Explaining the changes, Kohli said, "We feel that Rohit has been playing very well. He can change sessions in a Test match. I'm taking nothing away from Pujara; he has been solid. (But) Everybody needs to get chances."
Sharma (9) did not live up to his captain's faith on Tuesday, nibbling at a full delivery from Joseph outside the off and nicking it to Dowrich. He scored just nine.
The ever-watchful Ajinkya Rahane was then out in a rather comical fashion. Chase bowled a slow, looping full toss which dipped on Rahane. The batsman tried a sweep but missed it completely as the ball arrived late to take his off and middle stumps. It was a gift to West Indies.
Ashwin had a chequered existence in the middle. He had a scare when Leon Johnson at forward short-leg wasn’t sharp enough to make the catch when an inside edge hit the pad before looping up. The bowler was Chase and Ashwin was on 26 then.
Ashwin got another reprieve at 35 when he was caught by Chase at point off Gabrierl but was saved as replays showed Gabriel's back foot had gone out of the side crease.
The cricket became so slow that at times it induced sleep. Between lunch and tea, India made only 43 in 29 overs. Only two fours were hit in the entire session. Saha hit his first four off the 95th ball he faced.
It was only after the new ball was taken that the boundaries started to come.
Playing cricket was a demanding ask on a very hot and humid day. There was little respite for the teams almost throughout the day.
As expected, West Indies dropped leggie Devendra Bishoo to bring in Joseph while Leon Johnson replaced opening batsman Rajindra Chandrika.