Mukund's maiden fifty takes India to 102/2 at lunch on day 3

By Ashish Shukla
Roseau (Dominica), July 8 (PTI) Opener Abhinav Mukund hit
his maiden Test half-century as India overcame early blows to
reach 102 for two at lunch on day three of the third cricket
Test against the West Indies here on Friday.
Mukund was batting on 52 and VVS Laxman was giving him
company on 30 as the duo added 84 runs for the undefeated
third wicket to lift India from a depressing 18 for two.
The visitors, trailing by 102 runs, were in complete
control on a benign pitch and against an attack which operated
without lead bowler Ravi Rampaul due to an upset stomach.
India, resuming at eight for no loss, lost Murali Vijay
(5) and Rahul Dravid (5) after adding just 10 runs to the
overnight score at Windsor Park.
Vijay was nearly bowled off a low full toss in Fidel
Edwards' first over, squeezing the ball between the slip
cordon for a four, but his tendency to push at the ball once
again proved his undoing.
In Edwards' next over, a delivery took the edge of his
bat on way to wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh's gloves.
The Tamil Nadu opener is in the middle of a wretched run
of scores, the sequence of his five innings in the series
reading 8,0,11,3 and 1.
Dravid then fell to Darren Sammy, making the normally
passive West Indian captain roar in triumph as he hasn't done
at any stage in this series.
Dravid played for an away movement at the delivery which
kept coming straight and went between bat and pad to rattle
the stumps.
Mukund and Laxman, the left-right combination, then
gradually found their moorings as the hosts wilted under a hot
son and a placid pitch.
There were not many fours hit but runs came at a fair
clip as Indians looked to consolidate for a profitable day
ahead. PTI AS
RCJ