Teenager Kraigg Brathwaite and veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit half-centuries to steady the West Indies on the opening day of the first Test against India on Sunday. Brathwaite, who turns 19 next month, was unbeaten on 61 and Chanderpaul on 55 not out as the tourists reached 159-3 at tea in their first innings after winning the toss. Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha bagged two wickets in the first session and debutant off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin one in the second to reduce the West Indies to 72-3 before Brathwaite and Chanderpaul added 87 runs.
Chanderpaul hit the first six of the match when he lofted Ashwin over long-on. He also cracked four boundaries in his 88-ball knock for his 57th Test half-century. Brathwaite batted patiently for four hours, having so far hit only four boundaries in his 196-ball knock for his second Test half-century. Ojha, playing his first Test in a year, put pressure on the West Indies when he trapped opener Kieran Powell (14) leg-before in his second over and then held a return catch to dismiss Kirk Edwards (15).
Ashwin got his maiden Test wicket when he dismissed Darren Bravo, who was bowled while attempting to cut in the first over after the lunch-break. Bravo, who smashed 195 in his previous Test innings against Bangladesh in Dhaka last week, contributed 12 runs.
Ojha, who was pressed into the attack after just nine overs, had an opportunity to remove Powell in his opening over but failed to hold on to a return catch. But the batsman fell in the next over.
Ojha has so far conceded just 30 runs in his 20 tight overs.
India went into the opening Test of a three-match series with two pacemen, Ishant Sharma and debutant Umesh Yadav, and as many spinners, Ashwin and Ojha.
Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, the world’s leading scorer in both Test and one-day cricket, needs just one hundred to complete an unprecedented 100 international centuries. The remaining two Tests will be played in Kolkata and Mumbai.
