Dominica: At the start of lunch on Wednesday, Mohammed Siraj grabbed an outstanding catch that allowed India to reduce West Indies to 68/4.
Jermaine Blackwood attempted a big shot down the ground from Ravindra Jadeja in the 28th over but failed to time it. The ball ultimately went towards mid-off, where Siraj retreated and extended his right hand to make an incredible grab.
As West Indies stumbled to 68 for 4, Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed both openers with pure artistry.
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As the third seamer in foreign circumstances for the first time, Shardul Thakur (1/7 in 3 overs) continued with his pleasant knack of getting wickets, and Jadeja (1/6 in 2 overs) also found his name in wickets column.
West Indies could only knock six fours in the 28 overs that were bowled during the session, thus debutant Alick Athanaze was at the crease when the session broke. When West Indies decided to bat first, their openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul (12, 44 balls) and Kraigg Brathwaite (20, 46 balls) withdrew during the first hour as Siraj (0/17 in 8 overs) and Jaydev Unadkat (0/7 in 5 overs) settled down to a nice fuller Test match length, repeatedly beating the outside edge of both openers.
The pressure the speed pair applied paid off as Ashwin (2/25 in 10 overs) reduced the pace of his deliveries and well utilized the available drift to make life difficult for the two openers.
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During the second hour, he did challenge both the inside and outside edge thanks to a beautiful loop.
Even though Tagenarine is significantly more side-on than his "Old Man," his stance and trigger shuffle from leg to off-stump have an amazing resemblance to those of his renowned father Shivnarine.
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Ashwin got one to dangle in the air and drift into the southpaw after sensing his shuffling. The southpaw played inside the line but discovered that it beat his outside edge after pitching and there was a death rattle.
The captain of the West Indies and unquestionably the best Test batsman in the team over the past five years, Brathwaite, was growing increasingly irritated with Ashwin's occasionally quicker bowling to him.
He did attempt to escape danger by sweeping the boundary with his bat, but the clever player smacked one across the line, forcing Brathwaite to attempt a pointless bottom-handed slog over mid-on. However, for captain Rohit Sharma who was stationed at cover, the poorly timed slog just made skiers easier.
Siraj softened Raymon Reifer, a left-handed player (2 off 18 balls), with some short balls, and he never appeared to be in control.
Shardul, who is a bit slower, intended to enter the fight on the front foot and initiate his cover drive. Ishant Kishan dived behind the stumps and shattered the thick outside edge after Shardul swiftly slid one across them.
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