Kingston: Jasprit Bumrah became only the third Indian to collect a Test hat-trick, while Hanuma Vihari and Ishant Sharma posted personal bests with the bat to give India a massive advantage against West Indies in the second Test at Kingston.
Bumrah removed opener John Campbell early with a beautiful outswinger which he nicked through to Rishabh Pant. Then, he dismissed Darren Bravo, Shamarah Brooks and Roston Chase off successive deliveries to become only the third Indian to take a hat-trick. Bumrah could have caused more damage had he not left the field due to a cramp. By that time, however, West Indies had been reduced to 22 for 5. By stumps, the hosts had lost two more wickets and still needed 130 more to avoid the follow-on.
Vihari reached his hundred by taking a sharp single halfway through the session, and Ishant reached his fifty, three overs later.
The duo did have their nervous moments, particularly with their running between the wickets, but West Indies couldn’t affect direct hits and the pair continued to prosper. They even took India past 400, a total that might have seemed difficult to achieve when Pant had fallen to the first ball of the day.
At 414, Ishant holed out to part-timer Brathwaite and India’s innings came to a swift close four runs later. The Vihari-Ishant stand had already put West Indies on the back foot at tea, but with seven wickets falling in the final session, they had been set back irrevocably.
