New Delhi: During the middle of the first session on Day 1 of the second and final Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, a small number of fans were chanting ‘Kohli, Kohli’, as they sorely missed the presence of the batting stalwart and local lad.
By the time lunch was called, the sun was at its peak, and the fans had now started chanting ‘Jaiswal, Jaiswal’. They had their reasons, as Yashasvi scored an unbeaten 40 for India to reach 94/1 in 28 overs against the West Indies.
It was a session where India ticked many boxes – winning the toss, batting first, settling in, and slogging through the morning to build a steady foundation for a big total. Jaiswal and KL Rahul were cautious in their approach early on to take India to 15/0 in the first six overs, as a few balls from Anderson Philip and Jayden Seales swung.
After that, Rahul played shots which pleased the shutterbugs – a pristine punch and whip off Seales to score consecutive boundaries. The barrage of boundaries became three in a row when Jaiswal whipped Justin Greaves.
There was a sense of pure swagger in Jaiswal – a straight drive off Philip was as fierce as a bullet fired from a rifle. The straight drive would again come from Jaiswal’s willow – with its execution flawless on an overpitched ball from Greaves.
After a fifty-run partnership between the openers, Rahul had just lofted Khary Pierre for six and was preparing to dance down the pitch again – this time to Jomel Warrican — but he was undone by sharp turn that went past his outside edge, resulting in the batter being stumped for 38.
Jaiswal continued to be a class apart – rocking back to cut Warrican for four before lofting and sweeping Roston Chase for boundaries. Sai Sudharsan, walking in at number three and under scrutiny, began solidly too with his flicks and punches to keep India’s rhythm intact, something they will be keen to build on heading into the second session and would please the sparse fans who just converted from chanting about Kohli to Jaiswal in one session.
Brief Scores: India 94/1 in 28 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 40 not out, KL Rahul 38; Jomel Warrican 1-21) against West Indies
(IANS)
