By IANS/CMC,
Gros Islet (St Lucia) : India A batsmen struggled yet again and managed to score 230 after being put in by West Indies A in the decisive third and final cricket Test here at the Beausejour Cricket Stadium.
In reply, West Indies A were 34without loss, with Test opener Kieran Powell unbeaten on 16 and out-of-favour senior team batsman Kraigg Brathwaite on 13.
The visitors were rescued by their lower-order all-rounder Jalaj Saxena’s breezy 61after being reduced to 179 for seven soon after tea. The poor form of top-order batsmen continued. Opener Ajinkya Rahane (32), skipper Cheteshwar Pujara (33)and Manoj Tiwari (32) got their eye in but failed to build big innings.
Out-of-favour West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who has struggled in the series with just one wicket from the two earlier ‘Tests’, regained his form with three wickets Saturday, reports Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
Medium-pacer Jonathan Carter, who also picked up three wickets, did much of the early damage.
India once again got off to a disastrous start, losing opener Abhinav Mukund (10), caught in the slips by Carter off feared fast left-arm fast bowler Delorn Johnson and Rohit Sharma (12) bowled shouldering arms to Carter.
Rahane and Pujara added 46 for the third wicket, before the former fell just before lunch, caught behind off left-arms pinner Veerasammy Permaul who got the ball to spin and bounce.
India A problems compounded as Pujara got run out and slipped to 116 for five in the post-lunch session before a sequence of small partnerships saw them past the 200-run mark.
Tiwary and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha (27) put on 30 for the sixth wicket before Saha and Saxena added a further 33 for the seventh wicket.
Saxena hit out boldly to smack 10 fours in his 59-ball knock before becoming Bishoo’s second wicket, ninth out caught by Brathwaite at mid-wicket.
Bishoo’s third wicket came when he bowled last man Parvinder Awana without scoring.
Brief scores:
India A 230 (Jalaj Saxena 61, Cheteshwar Pujara 33, Ajinkya Rahane 32, Manoj Tiwary 32, Wriddhiman Saha 27; Devendra Bishoo 3-40, Jonathan Carter 3-57)
West Indies A 34 without loss.