Fourth Test, Kingston, day two (stumps): India 200 & 128-6 v West Indies 103 Dravid played superbly to put his side in a commanding position |
India ended day two of the final Test on 128-6, giving them an overall lead of 225, after they bowled West Indies for just 103 at Jamaica's Sabina Park.
Captain Rahul Dravid was unbeaten on 62 but scoring again proved difficult on a pitch offering inconsistent bounce as seamer Jerome Taylor took 3-28.
Earlier, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh took 5-13 in just 27 balls to help skittle the Windies in 33.3 overs.
Only Daren Ganga (40) resisted as the last seven wickets fell for 31 runs.
Home skipper Brian Lara had spoken the previous evening of building a big advantage and insisted there were few demons in the pitch.
 | It's a great chance to win the series and I'm sure if we bowl and field well we will win this Test |
But that never looked likely from the moment Sri Sreesanth knocked Chris Gayle's off-stump out in the first over and induced an edge from Lara (26) to slip with a rearing delivery.
Marlon Samuels dragged his back foot clear of the crease to be needlessly stumped off Anil Kumble and Shivnarine Chanderpaul edged a Munaf Patel half-volley to also fall cheaply.
The stage was then set for Harbhajan, who elicited some generous turn, and took wickets at regular intervals.
Yuvraj Singh held two catches at short-leg, and Ramnaresh Sarwan, batting at seven because of his knee injury on the first day, holed out to mid-wicket.
 Taylor followed up his first-innings 5-50 with more fine bowling |
A comical run out ended Taylor's innings and when Pedro Collins was caught in the deep for a duck India had completely turned the match on its head.
The batting struggles continued in their second knock when Wasim Jaffer fell to Taylor for a single and Virender Sehwag succumbed lbw for just four to leave them on 6-2.
VVS Laxman (16) and Yuvraj Singh (13) edged Collymore to Lara at slip before Collins bowled Mohammad Kaif for six off an inside edge.
But Dravid stood firm with his second half century of the match, in a 130-ball innings featuring stout defence and some aggressive strokeplay to pick up 11 boundaries.
Mahendra Dhoni put on 46 with him and scratched around for 19 before being bowled by a Taylor delivery which kept low.
Even still, India know that with the Windies needing to make the most runs ever to win at Sabina Park, they are in with a great chance of clinching their first series win in the Caribbean since 1971.