If ever a cricket contest assumed an incidental role it was the second Test at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
India won by an innings and 126 runs against the hapless West Indies, cornered all the awards and enhanced its stature in world cricket. As for the day’s honours they belonged to Sachin Tendulkar.
The spineless show by the West Indies cast a farcical shadow over the 2-0 triumph that India had scripted, thanks to some wonderful show by the Young Turks Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara, who came up with a century each, and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who had a match haul of 10 wickets.
The West Indies, resuming at 43 for three, capitulated for a paltry 187 with token resistance from Denesh Ramdin and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. It was a travesty that the Sachin Tendulkar Farewell Tests did not last three days.
Lack of skills
The lack of skills was too apparent in the West Indian approach as Ojha exploited the conditions to reap five wickets that took his match tally to 10. He was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match and promptly dedicated the achievement to Tendulkar.
It was not a packed Wankhede Stadium but the ambience was electric. Amidst chants of “Sachiiin, Sachiiin” the Test saw a mediocre climax. Few had expected a revival from the West Indies camp but the abject surrender left the spectators disappointed. For the second time running, the West Indies came a cropper.
Abject surrender
Few had expected a revival from the West Indies camp but the abject surrender left the spectators disappointed.
For the second time running, the West Indies came a cropper.
Scoreboard
West Indies 1st innings : 182
India 1st innings : 495
West Indies 2nd innings: (Resuming on 43 for 3)
Chris Gayle c Dhoni b Ojha 35; Kieran Powell c Mohammed Shami b Ashwin 9; Tino Best lbw b Ojha 9; Darren Bravo c Vijay b Ashwin 11; Marlon Samuels st Dhoni b Ojha 11; Shivnarine Chanderpaul lbw b Ashwin 41; Narsingh Deonarine c & b Ojha 0; Dinesh Ramdin not out 53; Darren Sammy lbw b Ojha 1; Shane Shillingford lbw b Ashwin 8; Shannon Gabriel b Mohammed Shami 0; Extras: (B—4, LB—5) 9; Total: (all out in 47 overs) 187
Fall of wickets : 1—15, 2—28, 3—43, 4—74, 5—87, 6—89, 7—157, 8—162, 9—185, 10—187.
Bowling: Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3—0—4—0; Mohammed Shami 7—0—28—1; R Ashwin 17—4—89—4; Pragyan Ojha 18—6—49—5; Sachin Tendulkar 2—0—8—0.
