Related Links : West Indies’ Tour of India 2011/12 : Scorecard of India Vs West Indies, 2nd Test at Kolkata
Rahul Dravid scored his 36th Test hundred to ease India to a commanding total of 346 for 5 on the first day’s play of the 2nd Test at Kolkata. India won the toss and elected to bat first on a track that looked batsmen-friendly along with a quick outfield. Most of the Indian batsmen made merry. Apart from centurion Dravid, Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman helped themselves to half centuries against a toothless West Indian attack.
India went into this Test Match with an unchanged side. Off Spinner R Ashwin could join the side on time just a day after his marriage in Chennai. West Indies made two changes with Kieran Powell making way for Adrian Barath while Ravi Rampaul with a stomach bug was hospitalized. Rampaul was replaced with express fast bowler Kemar Roach.
It was a flurry of boundaries at the start of the match as Sehwag and Gambhir had an easy time against the new ball barring the odd play and miss. In the 13th over, just after drinks, Virender Sehwag (38 from 33 balls with 8 fours) threw his wicket away when he flicked Darren Sammy in the air to Barath at short mid wicket. Sehwag by then had fired India to 66 in just 12.1 overs. The rest of the session was seen through by Gautam Gamhir (57*) and Rahul Dravid (33*). For Dravid, it was a breezy start with boundaries flowing from his bat and at lunch India was sitting pretty at 132 for 1 in 28 overs.
Soon after lunch, Gautam Gambhir (65 from 103 balls with 8 fours) played a reckless square drive on the up off a wide delivery from Fidel Edwards to get caught at short point. It was a well planned and perfectly executed move from the West Indies that made Gambhir fall in the trap to break what was an 83-run stand for the 2nd wicket.
There was another good partnership that the visitors ran into, this time between Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Against the run of play in the 52nd over with just a few minutes to go before Tea, Tendulkar (38 from 71 balls with 5 fours) paid the price of playing a rash pull shot off Devendra Bishoo to get caught at wide mid wicket. It was the end of a 56-run partnership for the 3rd wicket. India went into Tea at 212 for 3 in 57 overs with Dravid on 62 and Laxman on 1.
The experienced duo of Dravid and Laxman carried the match forward with a superb partnership and within no time, the former got to his 36th Test century. The fourth wicket pair added 140 runs taking India to 345 in the 87th over before Rahul Dravid in an attempted cut shot off part-time offie Kraig Brathwaited dragged a bottom edge onto the stumps. Dravid fell for 119 which came in 207 balls with 9 fours and a couple of well-timed sixes – the first one coming straight down the ground off Bishoo while the second one being a slog sweep off Samuels over wide long on.
West Indies got a quick wicket after Dravid’s fall that of night watchman Ishant Sharma (0 from 1 ball) who gloved a rising delivery with the second new ball from Kemar Roach to the keeper. Bad light forced stumps with still 2.3 overs left in the day’s play. VVS Laxman was on a fluent 73* (from 116 balls with 5 fours) when he was joined by Yuvraj Singh who got away without facing a single delivery.