Port of Spain: West Indies skipper Kraig Braithwaite led from the front with a determined half-century as the hosts found themselves in a solid position at the end of the second session on day three of the ongoing second Test against India in Port of Spain. At tea, the West Indies stood at 174/3, with Jermaine Blackwood and Alick Athanaze unbeaten at the crease.
Starting the second session at 117/2, Kraig Braithwaite (49), who had been holding the innings together, brought up his well-deserved fifty in 169 balls. He was joined by Jermaine Blackwood, and the duo continued to rebuild the innings, reaching the 150-run mark in the 68th over. However, Ravichandran Ashwin cut short Braithwaite’s marathon knock, dismissing him for 75 runs off 235 balls, including five boundaries and a six. The West Indies were 157/3 at that point.
In the company of Alick Athanaze, Jermaine Blackwood ensured there were no further setbacks for the West Indies as they calmly navigated through the remainder of the session without losing any more wickets. The partnership between Blackwood and Athanaze promised hope for the host nation.
Earlier in the day, the West Indies resumed their innings at 86/1, with Krik Mackenzie (14*) and Kraig Braithwaite (37*) unbeaten. The pair steadily accumulated runs and brought up the 100-run mark in 44.5 overs. However, just before the end of the first session, debutant Mukesh claimed his maiden wicket, dismissing Krik for 32, caught behind by wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan. The West Indies finished the first session at 117/2.
In the first innings, India had set a substantial target of 438 runs. The visitors were bolstered by Virat Kohli’s brilliant century (121) and fifties from skipper Rohit Sharma (80), Yashasvi Jaiswal (57), Ravindra Jadeja (61), and Ravichandran Ashwin (56), which proved to be instrumental in their imposing total.
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