Ashwin, Yadav lead India's fightback
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Debutants R. Ashwin and Umesh Yadav led a strong Indian fightback by claiming two wickets apiece as West Indies went into lunch at a precarious 109 for seven in their second innings on day three of the first cricket Test here on Tuesday.
Resuming at the overnight score of 21 for two and with 116 runs ahead, West Indies lost five wickets for an addition of 88 runs to let go of the advantage they had by earning a vital 95-run first-innings lead after bowling out India for 209 in their first essay on Monday.
First-innings centurion Shivnarine Chanderpaul was batting on 39 while skipper Darren Sammy was giving him company on eight as West Indies struggled to stretch their overall lead to 204 runs.
Beside off-spinner Aswhin and pacer Yadav's double blow, pace spearhead Ishant Sharma accounted for one wicket at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.
Ashwin, who had dismissed Kieran Powell yesterday evening, now has figures of three for 21 in 14 overs in West Indies' second innings.
Kirk Edwards started the day on a positive not for the Caribbean side when he leaned forward to caress Pragyan Ojha through extra cover for a boundary.
But Sharma soon accounted for the wicket of night-watchman Fidel Edwrads, who sneaked one to India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps in the day's third over.
The lanky Delhi pacer could have another in the same over but a one-handed Aswhin, despite a valiant attempt, could not hold on to Darren Bravo's uppish drive at cover.
The drop however, did not prove to be too costly for India as Ashwin made amends by sending Bravo back LBW with a tossed-up ball that did not turn much and hit the left-hander on the pads.
If that was not enough for the visitors, it took Ashwin just four balls to send back Marlon Samuels who was bemused by the bowler's trademark carom ball as it disturbed his off-stump.
Yadav, meanwhile, after a none-too-impressive outing in the first innings, tried to put in a lot more effort this morning. And it bore fruit when he dislodged Edwrads' off-stump after the batsman decided to shoulder arm, to register his maiden Test wicket.
Edwards scored 33 off 80 deliveries, and found the fence four times. The Vidarbha pacer then accounted for his second victim when induced a thick edge off wicketkeeper-batsman Carlton Baugh's bat that went straight to Dhoni's gloves.
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