India made the most of the initial conditions at Sabina Park in Jamaica as the hosts were reeling on the first morning of the second test. After surprising everyone and opting to bat first, Jason Holder’s move backfired big time as his top order wilted against the guile of the experienced Ishant Sharma quite early in the first session.
On a comparatively green and even surface, the hosts struggled early on as the new ball pair of Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami was on the money right away. The duo bowled some exceptional deliveries to catch the West Indies batsmen off guard and dent them right away into the second test. When Indian skipper Virat Kohli was quizzed about his move at the toss, the Delhi dasher admitted that he would have bowled first anyway, so he had no particular issues after losing the toss.
After having an underwhelming first test, Ishant Sharma roared back to form as he first got rid of the resilient Kraigg Brathwaite. The right-handed opener received an absolute gem of a delivery as Sharma’s short ball proved to be just too much for him. The delivery was targeted at his rib cage, and all Brathwaite could do was just offer an easy catch to Cheteshwar Pujara at short leg.
On the very next delivery, Sharma floored southpaw Darren Bravo with another stunning delivery, which slightly tailed away. With the ball pitching just outside off, Bravo shuffled a bit and the ball did the rest as it caught a thick edge off his willow, going straight to Virat Kohli at second slip.
After the 13th over, West Indies were struggling at 39-3, with the Indian pacers in full flow. Below, is the video of Ishant’s twin strikes which put the hosts in a spot of bother.
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