53 overs – India 181/3, Rahul 60, Kohli 45, WICB 180
And that will be lunch on Day 2. India in a solid position, as they have not been dented any further after yesterday’s 3 wickets. They now lead by a solitary run, and will look to kick on after the break, possibly to force a result in the match. Few iffy shots in the last before lunch, but the chances have not be accepted by the hosts.
KL Rahul makes strong case for the starting berth
50 overs – India 162/3, Rahul 50, Kohli 41, WICB 180
KL Rahul can’t get to his 50 just yet as the seamer restricts him to 6 dot balls. He didn’t have to wait for much longer however as he eases one past the slips to bring up his second 50 in as many games.
48 overs – India 159/3, Rahul 49, Kohli 40, WICB 180
Spin into the attack for the Board President’s XI. Troubles Kohli with a ball that bobbles up dangerously on the leg-side but lands in front of the fielder. More action ensued as Rahul was sent back from Kohli as he looked to pinch a single and the captain was clearly miffed with the batsman. The spinner troubles Kohli again in the last over, after the fielder at silly mid on was excited as he caught a ball off Kohli’s pads.
INDIA BRING UP THE 150!
45 overs – India: 150/3, Rahul 45, Kohli 36; WICB 180
Kohli starts with a spanking straight drive which makes a crunching sound off the bat and rolls away to the fence first up and ends the over with a single. KL Rahul reduced to the role of a spectator right now. Kohli takes a single to allow Rahul to have a crack at it and he sees off 5 tidy balls by the bowler.
43 overs – India: 144/3, Rahul 45, Kohli 30; WICB 180
Kohli takes a single off the very last delivery in the 42nd over to retain strike. He takes a triple on the very first ball of the next over to give Rahul a taste of the action. Rahul takes a triple as well and Kohli again takes a single off the last ball to retain strike as we enter the 44th over of the game.
41 overs – India: 135/3, Rahul 42, Kohli 25; WICB 180
Great running lets the pair take 3 in the 41st over with Kohli finding the middle of the bat with ease. Rahul saw off the rest of the over as the players take a drinks break.
40 overs – India: 132/3, Rahul 42, Kohli 22; WICB 180
Runs come by fairly easily for the pair as they have no trouble negating the threat posed by the West Indian bowlers. Rahul took charge of the 39th over and Kohli the 40th, Rahul is ambling towards his second 50 in two games.
38 overs – India: 123/3, Rahul 37, Kohli 19; WICB 180
Good bowling phase from the Board President’s bowlers and the batsmen have to be content with defending and playing them out with caution. But, both of them are looking secure, and no real chances have been created so far.
36 overs – India: 120/3, Rahul 35, Kohli 18; WICB 180
Steady stuff from the overnight pair, as they want to bide their time on the batting crease. Cautious approach mixed with few aggressive shots to poor deliveries is clearly the adopted strategy.
33 overs – India: 115/3, Rahul 35, Kohli 13; WICB 180
Kohli slowly getting into his zone, as he clips a full ball on the pads past mid-wicket for a regal boundary. He is looking relaxed at the crease, certainly good signs for India. Rahul looking solid too at the other end.
30 overs – India: 100/3, Rahul 34, Kohli 3; WICB 180
Kohli looking to bide his time out in the centre, Rahul meanwhile wanted to go downtown but mistimed his shot in that over.
Rahul gets going with a fierce late cut past the backward point fielder and collects his first boundary.
26 overs – India: 93/3, Rahul 30; WICB 180
Kohli plays the 3 remaining balls with ease. The score remains the same.
25.3 overs – India: 93/3, Rahul 30; WICB 180
The players have made their way into the centre, and we are set for the action to commence.
After an engrossing first day in which the Indian team were on top, we are ready for the action to unfold on the second day. The bowlers did their job, more so the spinners, and now it is up to the batsmen to make the most of this opportunity.
India are at 93/3, after having bundled out the Board President’s XI for a paltry 180. The Indian spinners did most of the damage and shared wickets among themselves. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja picked 3 wickets each, and Amit Mishra spun out 2 batsmen.
In reply, Murali Vijay looked solid during his stint at the crease, but was dismissed in a rather soft manner.
The pitch is offering assistance to the bowlers, and Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have their work cut out. This innings will be important for Kohli as he missed out in the first practice game, and the Indian skipper would ideally want to get things in proper order before the first test.
You can watch the live stream of the match here
The Board President’s XI have Kemar Roach in their ranks, and he will want to prove a point or two after being shunted out from the National team.
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