Indian batters make merry on Day 2 as Rahul, Jurel and Jadeja smash tons

Team India dominated the second day of the first Test too as their batters made merry, winning all the sessions in the day, building a mammoth lead of 286 runs. Starting at 121/2, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul carried forth their combined attack as the visitors were no match for India’s batting supremacy.

Gill looked in great shape from the very start of the second day. After knocking his first 18 runs from 42 balls, he registered his next 32 from just 52 deliveries, exhibiting confidence and control. Rahul continued to support him at the other end, building his own knock in the meanwhile.

The Indian captain lost his wicket to his counterpart in the Caribbean threads, Roston Chase for 50, offering a glimmer of hope to the visitors. Rahul’s fine knock came to an end at the exact magical number of 100 as Jomel Warrican dismissed. This was his 10th ton in Test cricket while India savoured the dividends.

The departure of Rahul ushered in another humdinger stand for the hosts, the best of the lot indeed as Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja started calling the shots without any mercy. Jurel (125) and Jadeja (104*) were simply relentless in their pursuit of dominance and the Islanders could hardly stand up to the duo.

Jurel brought up his maiden international century in style, flicking Roston Chase past mid-off to carve an iconic celebration. His marathon innings finally met its end at the hands of Khary Pierre to conclude what was a 206-run stand between Jurel and Jadeja.

Jadeja brought up his sixth century with a single against Warrican, replicating his iconic sword celebration. There were hardly any chinks in the Indian armour as they kept on shifting gears throughout the day. The hosts managed to tot up 122 runs in the final session at a staggering 3.81, clarifying their intentions of piling up what can be a match-winning lead in the first innings itself. India drew curtains on the day at 448/5, leading by 286 runs.

Brief scores:

West Indies – 162 (Justin Greaves 32, Shai Hope 26, Mohammed Siraj – 4/40)

India – 448/5 (Dhruv Jurel -125, Ravindra Jadeja – 104*, Roston Chase – 2/90)

Day 2 final update – India lead by 286 runs