Raina, Harbhajan save India the blushes on day one against WI

Ashish Shukla
Kingston (Jamaica), Jun 21 (PTI) Suresh Raina and
Harbhajan Singh rescued India after a top-order collapse but
the visitors were still bowled out for a modest 246 in their
first innings on the opening day of their first cricket Test
against the West Indies here.
In reply, West Indies were 34 for one at stumps
Monday, trailing India by 212 runs.
Lendl Simmons was the lone West Indian wicket to fall
in the post tea session. Adrian Barath was at the crease on 26
at close of play and giving him company was Ramnaresh Sarwan
(2).
Ishant Sharma turned out to be the lone successful
bowler for India with figures of one for eight.
Earlier, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to
bat first at a two-paced Sabina Park pitch misfired as India
suffered a top-order collapse before Raina (82) and Harbhajan
(70) joined hands to resurrect the innings with a belligerent
144-run seventh wicket stand.
Raina and Harbhajan took the attack to the opposition
during their 168-ball partnership to rescue India's sinking
ship after they were reduced to 85 for six at one stage.
The glorious seventh-wicket stand between the duo was
the only silver lining in India's innings as the visitors lost
their last four wickets for a mere 15 runs.
For West Indies, the pace duo of Fidel Edwards (4 for
56) and Ravi Rampaul (3 for 59) shared seven wickets between
them but it was young leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo (3 for 75),
who impressed the most with his three-wicket haul and two
outstanding catches. Sent into bowl, Rampaul gave a dream start to the home
team removing both the Indian openers -- debutant Abhinav
Mukund (11) and Murali Vijay (8) -- within the first 12 overs.
Then it was Bishoo's turn to stun the visitors with
the prized wickets of VVS Laxman (12) and Rahul Dravid (40) on
either side of the lunch.
As if this was not enough, Bishoo also claimed the
vital wicket of India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was
out for his fifth duck in Test cricket, to register three
scalps for 11 runs off his first 20 deliveries in the match.
But that was all the young leg-spinner could manage on
the day before he was taken to cleaners by Raina and
Harbhajan, who scored a mammoth 60 runs off Bishoo's next
seven overs.
Raina alone scored 40 runs off Bishoo with eight fours
before he once again made his presence felt in the match but
this time on the field.
After India had recovered to be 231 for six in the
final session, Bishoo came up with a stunning catch to break
the dangerous-looking stand between Raina and Harbhajan.
He ran from the deep and dived full length to his left
to catch Harbhajan's mistimed hook off Edwards.
Bishoo later brought the lid on the Indian innings by
taking Raina's catch at the square-leg boundary off Rampaul's
bowling.
Earlier, India's top-order batsmen found it difficult
to come to terms with the tricky pitch on an extremely hot day
as they lost both their openers -- young Murali Vijay (8) and
debutant Abhinav Mukund (11) -- as well as middle-order
mainstay Laxman (12) and another debutant Virat Kohli (4) in
the 25.3 overs of the pre-lunch session.
The home team tasted its first success as early as in
the fourth over when Vijay drove one straight to Bishoo at
point off Rampaul.
Mukund showed good judgment of his off-stump but
looked ungainly while trying to play the short-pitched
deliveries.
His tendency to play away from his body proved costly
when an inside edge off Rampaul took his leg-stump out of the
socket.
Laxman then joined Rahul Dravid (40) at the score 30
for two after 11 overs as the visitors decided to hold back
another debutant Virat Kohli.
For Laxman, it was only the seventh time during his
distinguished career when he batted at the number four
position.
Laxman was distinctly lucky when he edged the very
first delivery he faced from Darren Sammy, but the ball fell
short of the first slip.
The stylish Hyderabadi batsman got another lifeline in
the 20th over at the personal score of five when Rampaul
dropped a difficult chance at mid-on off Edwards.
But Laxman's luck ran out when Bishoo dismissed him
with his first delivery.
Laxman was caught at the slip by Sammy as he went
forward to a tossed up leg-break from Bishoo, which spun and
took the edge.
New man in Kohli opened his account in Test cricket in
style as he flicked Edwards down to fine leg boundary.
But the West Indies pacer had his revenge in the next
over when Kohli edged one to wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh to
draw curtains on the first session of the day.
The ever-reliable Rahul Dravid looked rusty initially
but later his footwork improved and he played several
delightful strokes before falling prey to Bishoo in the slip
soon after lunch.
Dravid's eyes lit up at a tossed up Bishoo delivery
and he went for a mighty heave, only to find the ball spin and
take the edge to Sammy in the slips.
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (0) did little
justice to his reputation as he became Bishoo's third victim
soon, caught by Lendl Simmons at gully.
But then came in Harbhajan, who used his long handle
to great effect and hit Bishoo for three fours off the first
six deliveries he faced from the leg-spinner. The fiery Indian
off-spinner meted out the same treatment to Edwards.
On the other hand, Raina started cautiously as he was
subjected to a fair degree of short-pitched stuff by the West
Indian bowlers.
But the young left-hander was up for the task as he
showed great maturity in dealing with the short stuff.
The savage hitting of the pair quickly took Bishoo out
of the attack as 150 runs came from the afternoon session.
Harbhajan completed his half century from only 45
deliveries with the help of nine fours.
Raina followed suit and took 76 deliveries to notch up
the landmark with the help of 10 fours.
The dominance of the duo can be gauged from the fact
that they took just 120 deliveries in notching up their
100-run seventh-wicket stand.
But West Indies gathered their wits at tea break and
pressed into service their frontline bowlers from both ends on
resumption, which promptly paid dividends.
Edwards kept two fielders in the deep and bowled a
short delivery at Harbhajan, who mishit one to a diving
Bishoo. He made his 70 off 74 balls and hit 10 fours and a
six.
Raina then witnessed Praveen Kumar (4) and Amit Mishra
(6) quickly before he became the last man to depart. His 82
came off 115 balls and was studded with 15 hits to the fence.