Jaffer leads solid Indian response at Antigua

Antigua—After being outplayed for much of the first two days, India fought back with a spirited performance in the field and with the bat to regain much of the ground they had lost earlier. Bowling with more purpose than on the second day, they took the four remaining West Indian wickets fairly quickly to bowl them out for 371. Faced with a deficit of 130, their openers then got them off to a fluent start, putting together 72. Though Virender Sehwag went for 42, Wasim Jaffer held the innings together with a composed 60, as India went into the tea interval on 121 for 1, whittling down the deficit to just 9.
With the pitch easing significantly since the first day, the Indians batted with far greater comfort. None of the West Indian fast bowlers got the movement in the air and off the pitch that they had obtained in the first innings, allowing both Sehwag and Jaffer to hit through the line of the ball. The West Indian bowlers still had the openers in some bother, though. The most engrossing passage of play happened just after lunch, when Fidel Edwards decided to attack Sehwag's body with short-pitched deliveries with a leg slip and a short leg in place. Looking distinctly uncomfortable, Sehwag jumped up to fend on a couple of occasions and nearly gloved catches to Ramnaresh Sarwan at that position. Unfortunately for West Indies, Edwards pulled a hamstring muscle and had to limp off after bowling just 5.4 overs.
Jaffer had failed in the first innings but looked more secure this time around. He was still in some trouble when forced to play on the front foot outside off, twice edging Ian Bradshaw through the slips in an over, but he gradually found his groove, playing some pleasant strokes on the leg side and getting to his fifty with his most convincing stroke of the innings - a fluent drive through the covers off Dwayne Bravo. Laxman looked in good touch too - a glorious cover-drive off Bradshaw and a wristy flick off Dave Mohammed were already worthy of being included in the highlights package as India went into the tea interval in good spirits.
The batsmen built on the gains that the bowlers had provided them in the morning, as they took the four remaining West Indian wickets in just over 16 overs. The morning session was an especially rewarding one for VRV Singh, who bowled with far more purpose than he had yesterday and nailed his first two wickets in Test cricket. Munaf Patel and Anil Kumble shared the two other wickets, while Ian Bradshaw and Dave Mohammed ensured that West Indies still added a few to their overnight score - Bradshaw made 33, while Mohammed was unbeaten on 19.
Rahul Dravid opted for the new ball first thing in the morning, and Munaf was immediately impressive, bowling in the channel and consistently troubling Denesh Ramdin and eventually forcing him to nick to the wicketkeeper. At the end, though, Sreesanth continued to struggle. He leaked 14 runs in three overs, losing his run-up, bowling from well within the crease, and spraying it wide outside off and leg.—Agencies