Ahmedabad: Dhruv Jurel’s unbeaten 68 and a stroke-filled half-century from Ravindra Jadeja swelled India’s first-innings lead to 164 runs against the West Indies, with the hosts reaching 326/4 at tea on the second day of the first Test here.
Jurel and Jadeja’s unbroken 108-run stand for the fifth wicket provided some spunk to what had largely been a watchful approach by the Indian batters on the second day, which also saw the skipper Shubman Gill (50, 100 balls) and KL Rahul (100, 197 balls) falling immediately after personal milestones.
Apart from a short burst from Yashasvi Jaiswal on the first day evening when he struck a string of fours before being dismissed, India hadn’t really pressed the accelerator on scoring until Jurel and Jadeja came together.
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Jurel began the counter-attack with a six over midwicket sometime after Rahul fell in the first over post resumption. And Jadeja soon chimed in with two blows into the stands off Jomel Warrican to make intentions clear.
With Warrican trying to exploit the rough patches created from bowlers’ footmarks at one end, it became imperative for the Indian pair to take the attack back to the opposition with India’s lead until their association began was only 57.
Neither Jadeja nor Jurel missed any opportunity to unleash their big shots and pierce gaps for boundaries, with the senior all-rounder reaching 50 not out off 81 balls (3x4s, 4x6s) while Jurel was on 68 off 126 balls (7x4s, 2x6s), having brought up his second half-century in Test cricket.
Additionally, it was also crucial for the home side to have a significant lead on the board before the second new ball was taken as between overs 70-80, India added 44 runs.
However, neither did the West Indies opt for the second new ball — available after the 80th over — nor did the two Indians slow down in garnering their runs in what turned out to be a session which not only consolidated the hosts’ grip on the game, but also gave signs of the pitch breaking down. It had a lot to do with their main fast bowler, Jayden Seals, limping off the ground.
Like Gill in the morning session, Rahul had himself to blame for perishing immediately after bringing up his 11th Test century. It was also his first Test hundred at home since his 199 against England at Chennai in 2016.
Rahul went for a drive against Warrican, who tossed the ball up but ended up hitting in the air and Justin Greaves grabbed a simple catch at extra cover, ending the India opener’s 197-ball knock laced with 12 fours.
