One of the most under-rated players in international cricket proved his value yet again on a dry, dusty pitch at the Ferozeshah Kotla Ground here on Sunday.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul's unbeaten 111 (166b, 7x4, 2x6) helped the West Indies score 256 for five against India on the opening day of the first Test. The southpaw's 24th Test century was all about extending his good run against India. The last time he played against M.S. Dhoni's men in a Test, Chanderpaul scored an unbeaten 116 at Roseau in July.
The veteran batsman walked in when the West Indies' first innings was at its tipping point — 72 for three. And at the non-striker's end was Kraigg Brathwaite (63, 212b, 4x4), who was just a one-year old toddler when Chanderpaul made his Test debut in 1994. The duo shared a 108-run fourth-wicket partnership, an alliance in which Brathwaite displayed remarkable patience that belied his 18 summers while Chanderpaul reflected a positive attitude.
Cat-and-mouse game
Chanderpaul flicked and cut Umesh Yadav besides using his feet against R. Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha. He hoisted Ashwin for a six and then indulged in a cat-and-mouse game against Ojha. Chanderpaul used to step out, hinting at an expansive shot. Ojha would drop it a bit short and Chanderpaul would recalibrate his bat swing. He did eventually strike Ojha over long-on and the left-arm spinner (three for 58), who had a fine day, drew some consolation from his dismissal of Brathwaite.
The opener lunged forward, dragging his back leg out and the ball drifted across the full face of the blade while Dhoni proved to be a fatal lightning against the bails. It was Dhoni's 199th dismissal (173 catches, 26 stumpings) and it helped him go past Syed Kirmani's previous best for India — 198 (160, 38).
Later Dhoni notched a 200 (174, 26) with his battered wicket-keeping gloves as a struggling Marlon Samuels had no clue to an Ashwin delivery that zipped straight off the pitch. Chanderpaul and Carlton Bough then ensured that there were no further alarms.
In the morning, Darren Sammy won the toss, opted to bat and watched Brathwaite and Kieran Powell bide their time against Ishant Sharma and debutant Yadav. Ishant grimaced as southpaw Powell trickled two fours past third man in the opening over and the West Indies openers displayed a penchant for pocketing a large chunk of runs from behind the wicket.
Futile appeals
Ishant had two futile appeals for leg before wicket against Powell, who also evinced no interest in Yadav's slanted-across deliveries that were a touch wide. Thankfully, Yadav improved through the day and remained sharp. With the West Indies' duo being unmoved against pace, Dhoni introduced spin from the tenth over. Immediately Ojha came into the picture and in his second over, curled one into Powell's pads.
India's other debutant Ashwin came on from the 15th over and the West Indies was soon trapped in a mesh of spin on a slow track.
Ashwin initially bowled too full and that affected the chances of the spinning ball fully expressing its intent.
Makes adjustments
Later, the off-spinner corrected his trajectory while the batsmen lived in their shells though Kirk Edwards guided Ojha past sweeper-cover in what was the first authoritative shot in front of the stumps. Edwards soon chipped one back to Ojha.
The lack of partnerships atop the order as evident in 25 and 20 for the first and second wicket respectively continued after a lunch score of 69 for two, Darren Bravo perished in the very first over following the break. He tried to cut Ashwin while the delivery, homing into the stumps, deserved respect.
Bravo's delectable punch off Ishant proved to be just a flicker on a day when Chanderpaul showed that his batting style which defies aesthetics, could still be emphatically effective.
