Fourth Test, India versus West Indies, Antigua

India take first day's honours

Day One

Another Tendulkar duck, but India finish day one on 226/3

The St John's Recreation Ground at Antigua has witnessed two of the greatest innings of all-time -- Brian Lara's epic 375 not out, the highest Test score, and Vivian Richards' 56-ball hundred, the fastest Test century ever.

After failures in the last three innings, Sachin Tendulkar was due for a tall score, but failed yet again; this time for a first-ball duck -- causing a mini-collapse.

With Sunil Gavaskar and Andy Roberts pointing out flaws in Tendulkar's technique, the string of low scores accentuated the fallibility of the greatest.

Both teams made a single change -- India sat out Harbhajan Singh for Anil Kumble and the hosts traded opener Stuart Williams for left-hander Wavell Hinds -- from the teams that played the third Test in Barbados.

Sourav Ganguly lost the toss for the fourth consecutive time and Carl Hooper invited the visitors to bat on a bouncy wicket devoid of grass. Banking on his four pace bowlers, the West Indies skipper was perhaps hoping to penetrate the Indian line-up and dictate terms for the rest of the Test.

The morning session

A staid start by the openers, Shiv Sundar Das and Wasim Jaffer, saw off the opening attack of Barbados man-of-the-match Mervyn Dillon and Cameron Cuffy.

Hooper switched to Pedro Collins in the eighth over -- after Cuffy and Dillon failed to penetrate the Indian defence -- and drew first blood. Das inside edged a rising delivery onto his wicket. Extra bounce and pace yet again had scalped an Indian wicket.

Jaffer, riding high after his second innings half-century in Barbados, then cut loose, playing some glorious back-foot drives through the offside, being particularly severe on Collins and Cuffy.

The Mumbai batsman brought up the Indian fifty, going down on one knee to drive Collins through the covers. His timing and balance were on display even as Hooper’s fears came true. The Windies skipper had marked out the young opener as the player to look out for after the Barbados innings.

India has tried out five openers in the last 10 Tests with zero success. But that search seems to have harvested a solution if Jaffer’s last two outings are anything to go by. For a player who lost at least two years of international cricket, the hunger to score runs is apparent with the rate that he gets his runs.

Dravid seemed to be playing spectator, watching exquisite back-foot play from Jaffer as he punctured the West Indian attack. The vice-captain himself played some crisp cover drives early on in his innings, looking set for another tall score in the series.

Dravid, as Viv Richards stated, is the kind of batsman who stings the opponents without making it obvious. Two on-drives confirmed the form he is in after the century he scored in the first Test at Georgetown.

India went into lunch at 73/1, with Jaffer two short of his second successive half-century and Dravid on 21.

The post-lunch session

Jaffer flicked Dillon off his pads to the fence to register his second consecutive half-century. The script for the rest of the session was written, with the pitch offering as much assurance to the Windies bowlers as Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha promising to wipe out poverty by 2015.

Dravid, scoring at a steady pace, took over from Jaffer, pulling Adam Sanford to the mid-wicket fence and followed it up with a copybook on-drive for another four.

Jaffer carved more than 60 per cent of his runs in boundaries, bisecting the field with pinpoint accuracy. Dravid, on the other hand, grafted his way to a half-century, driving Collins through the covers for his eighth boundary.

Hooper reshuffled his field and switched to defensive mode. The Windies bowlers, disheartened by a placid square, bowled too many half volleys. Hooper's options ran dry as he tried Hinds and Ramnaresh Sarwan besides bowling some off-cutters himself to create a breakthrough.

Jaffer and Dravid cruised to a 140-run partnership for the second wicket as India went to tea on 153/1, having added 80 runs in the post-lunch session.

The post-tea session

Jaffer glided Collins down to the third man ropes to bring up the 150 run partnership. Collins was the most expensive of the four medium pacers, with Jaffer showing special affinity for him, taking six boundaries off the left-armer.

Both batsmen seemed to be coasting to their centuries, but a double blow bludgeoned the Indian effort. Jaffer, motoring along on 86, edged Collins to the wicket-keeper; the ball, angled across to the batsman, moved a touch away from the bat before it settled into the 'keeper's hands. Jaffer's innings was one of unflappable application; never once failing to punish the loose delivery complimented with fortress-like defence.

Tendulkar walked in at the comfortable score of 168/2 with two ducks against his name in the last three innings. Collins, having snapped him up in the first innings of the third Test, angling one across to him, bowled a similar ball first up and found the edge yet again. Ridley Jacobs held onto a low catch to his right and Tendulkar walked back with a first-ball duck against his name.

Ganguly negotiated the hat-trick ball with all the fielders surrounding him, but the skipper left the ball which sailed past him into the 'keeper's gloves.

The West Indian strategy to angle the ball across to the right-handers appeared to have worked and the hosts, after having been at the receiving end for 64 overs of the day, dictated terms after tea.

Realising the importance of preserving wickets, Dravid withdrew into his shell. At one stage he scored just four runs off 52 balls after Jaffer's dismissal.

Ganguly pulled Sanford for a six over mid-wicket and got India past the 200 run mark. He followed it up with an exquisite square-cut.

With seven overs to go for stumps, Hooper took the new ball. Dravid welcomed the decision with an audacious cover drive. The fourth-wicket partnership reached the 50 run mark off 124 balls, Ganguly contributing 35 runs to the association.

The Indians finished the day at 226/3, with Dravid (86) closing in on his second century of the series and Ganguly looking fluent on 41.

Scoreboard