Abhinav Mukund impressed during his fighting 48 in the Indian second innings of the second Test. The young opener also displayed courage after being struck on the helmet by a sharp bouncer from Fidel Edwards.
“It can really hurt. It is as if you are in a war. But I was determined. I wanted to tell myself that I could face Test bowling,” Mukund said.
He admitted he had been anxious ahead of his Test debut in Kingston.
“I did not sleep much on the eve of the match. I was nervous when I faced my first over in Tests. But I told (Murali) Vijay that I would take the first strike. I have always taken the first strike, even at Ranji Trophy level.”
The opener revealed that a punched drive off Edwards gave him the confidence that he could play at this level.
Mukund said it had been not been easy for him and his Tamil Nadu teammate Murali Vijay to adapt to the pitches in the West Indies. “We did not have enough time to adjust having landed here only three days before the first Test.”
He added, “To be honest, it has been tough. The bounce on these pitches is really steep. But I feel it is good for me to have played in such conditions so early in my career.”
Happy atmosphere
Mukund spoke about the happy atmosphere in the Indian dressing room and the influence of the senior cricketers. He said, “Having batted with Dravid today, I learnt a lot. He is gutsy and keeps talking to himself in the middle. He kept telling me ‘watch the ball, watch the ball.'”
The opener also said that watching Marlon Samuels and Shivnarine Chanderpaul bat from short-leg enabled him prepare better for the second innings. “The two were playing the ball late. Chanderpaul was also leaving a lot of balls that were close to the off-stump.”
Meanwhile, West Indies coach Ottis Gibson reacted strongly when asked about Chris Gayle's comments on him — the opener had been critical of Gibson's observation that the senior players lacked hunger.
Gibson said, “We don't sit down and discuss Gayle. We discuss how to get Dravid and Laxman out, how to stop Ishant Sharma from taking six wickets; how we can win the Test — we don't talk about Gayle.”
He added, “We are trying to build a team which is competitive and can start to win. Everyone has a part to play in it, including Gayle if he chooses. He knows the score but he's choosing his own path.”
Gibson revealed Adrian Barath himself was not sure whether he had taken the catch cleanly after Rahul Dravid (on 10) had miscued Darren Sammy on day four.
The West Indies coach said, “When I first saw it, I thought it was out. When I saw the replay, it didn't look so. Adrian himself wasn't sure and he told the umpires. But in the end, the right decision was made.”
