Dhawan steadies India in tough first session

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Lunch India 72 for 1 (Dhawan 46*, Pujara 14*, Gabriel 1-18) chose to bat v West IndiesLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details

India would have expected to work hard for their runs when they chose to bat on a slow pitch surrounded by a slow outfield in St John’s, but hands in front of helmets as protective action wouldn’t have been on agenda. In their first Test under new bowling coach Roddy Estwick, the West Indies attack, thin on numbers but refreshingly bountiful in tenacity and discipline, tested the Indian top order in the first session of the series. Only 72 came in the first two hours for the loss of M Vijay to a lovely bouncer from Shannon Gabriel.

Questions about India’s weakness against the bouncer will be asked, but credit should go to the bowlers, who hardly bowled a bad ball in the session. Gabriel’s pace and bounce provided the extra edge that gave West Indies the wicket, but otherwise the play went along expected lines. India packed their side with bowlers, specialists all, and West Indies took the safer route of playing the extra batsman, debutant Roston …

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