A good tussle on Day 2

Under much more cloudy conditions than the first day, the West Indies "A" team seemed to come out on the 2nd day with a direct plan to dismiss India "A" immediately. India "A' were resuming on 179-5, with Mohammed Kaif on 30 not out and the more adventurous wicket-keeper Sameer Dighe on 24 not out. Captain Jimmy Adams started with his fastest bowlers, Nixon McLean and Dwight Mais.

Twenty one aggressive runs were added to the partnership, in the first five overs, ten of them from the bat of Kaif, before the first wicket of the morning ended the prospering sixth wicket partnership at 74.

Kaif had hit two flowing fours through the off side, from the bowling of Mais. Mais then got his revenge, inducing an easy catch from a stiff outside edge to the wicket-keeper, Wayne Phillip. Kaif out for 40 in over 95, India "A" 190-6.

Sameer Dighe, the remaining overnight batsman, soon followed his overnight partner to the pavilion, but not before he and Harvinder Singh Sodhi had brought up the 200 in the 100th over.

With India "A"'s score on 204, in over 102, Dighe was comprehensively beaten and bowled by West Indies "A"'s third fast bowler, Goldwyn Prince, who had replaced the struggling McLean. Dighe had made 32, India "A" 204-7.

Murali Kartik was soon bowled, second ball, by Mais, for a "duck", India "A" 205-8 in over 103.

Eight runs later, in over 107, it became 213-9 when Rahul Sanghvi was bowled by McLean for 3; India "A" 213-9.

McLean also got the tenth (and final) wicket, ten minutes before the luncheon interval, when Dodda Ganesh was out LBW, plumb in front of the stumps, in the 113th over with the score at 226. He had made 4.

In the meantime, Harvinder Singh Sodhi had contributed a patient, unbeaten and invaluable 20 not out to the eventual total.

For the West Indies "A" team, Jamaican fast bowler, Dwight Mais, was the most successful, and the most impressive bowler, getting 3-40 from 25 trying overs. There were two wickets each for the Windward Islands fast bowler Nixon McLean, his fellow Windward Islander, leg-spinner Rawl Lewis and Leeward Islands fast bowler Goldwyn Prince, who was also impressive in his first international outing.

Lunch was taken with the West Indies "A" team on 5-0 from the single over bowled before the interval, by orthodox leg-spinner, Rahul Sanghvi. The not out batsmen were Darren Ganga on 5 and Brenton Parchment on 0.

The lunch interval was extended when the rains bagan drizzling and play was not resumed until 1:15 Eastern Caribbean time, 35 minutes behind schedule.

Immediately, India "A" thought that they should have had success.

In the 5th over, Umpire Terrence Birbal turned down a very confident appeal for LBW against Parchment as he shuffled across the stumps. The batsman might just have been hit out side of off stump, and got the benefit of the doubt.

In the very next over, Ganga survived an even more confident and vociferous appeal, this time for caught behind, the bowler being the hard working Dodda Ganesh. Only the umpire, Zaimul Maccum and the batsmen were not convinced that Ganga had edged the delivery to the wicket-keeper.

Ganesh and India "A" did not have to wait much longer for their first success. In over 8, with Ganga on 8, he glanced rather lazily at a delivery from Ganesh pitched on the leg stump, and only presented the energetic wicket-keeper, Sameer Dighe, with a good leg-side catch, 12-1.

Leeward Islands Sylvester Joseph then joined Parchment and they both played the faster bowlers, Dodda Ganesh and Harvinder Singh Sodhi, well and positively. However, both batsmen were somewhat tentative to the orthodox left arm leg-spin of Murali Kartik and Rahul Sanghvi, and the off-spin of India "A"'s captain, Hrishikesh Kanitkar.

Joseph and Parchment saw the West Indies "A" score to 53-1 before Parchment misread a quicker delivery from Sanghvi, got a thick inside edge onto the pad, only to be well snapped up by Mohammed Kaif at forward short leg. West Indies "A" 53-2 in 23 overs, Parchment out for a struggling 15.

Jimmy Adams, the West Indies "A" captain, then came to the crease and immediately seemed to bring some confidence for his younger partner. They sprinted singles and two's, Adams especially negotiating the spin well. His pads seemed extremely white, and broad, to the spinners.

Sylvester Joseph, in the meantime, grew in stature and started playing some flowing drives, none more authoritative than the one which took him from 40 to 44. It was hit with great timing and authority back over the head of the bowler, Kanitkar.

Adams and Joseph had brought up the West Indies "A" 100 in 39 overs and looked set for a larger partnership, . Then Murali Kartik, easily the bowler who gave the West Indies "A" team batsmen the most trouble, struck with the partnership worth 64.

Adams played forward to a well flighted leg spinner. It bounced a bit, took the pad and glove, and ended up in the waiting hands of Mohammed Kaif to give him his second catch at short leg. Adams had made an aggressive 35; West Indies "A" 117-3 in over 45.

That could have been even worse for West Indies "A" if India "A"'s wicket-keeper had taken two almost consecutive catches offered by Joseph.

After Joseph had notched up a confident half century, including five 4's, he seemed to lose concentration after losing his partner, Adams. He drove at Ganesh when he was 55, and was badly dropped, the ball falling between the wicket-keeper and the slip, Kanitkar. Neither seemed ready to take the chance.

In the very next over, bowled by Kartik, Joseph was beaten with turn and edged into the wicket-keeper's gloves. This chance too was put down.

Ganesh did get a second wicket, though. He had Chris Gayle edging, playing away from his body, and this time the Indian "A" wicket-keeper made no mistake. Gayle had made only one, West Indies "A" 127-4.

At 131-4, the umpires decided that the light was sufficiently poor for them to call off the game for the day, another ten overs yet to be bowled of the day's allotment. Sylvester Joseph was still unbeaten with 56 and young Barbadian Ryan Hinds on 2 not out.

India "A"'s best bowler, on paper, was fast bowler Dodda Ganesh, with 2-16 from 9 overs, but the most troublesome bowler, from the batsmen's perspective, must have been orthodox left arm leg-spinner Murali Kartik, who finished with 1-36 from 17 overs.

Thus ended a good day's cricket, an even tussle between two good teams. The next two days could be very interesting indeed.