Kingston, Aug 4 : Heaping praise on Roston Chase's industrious application on the final day, India head coach Anil Kumble has pointed out that the approach adopted by the West Indies rookie all-rounder kept the formidable tourists at bay and foiled their victory bid in the second match at Sabina Park, Jamaica.
"Creditable for someone playing his second Test match to bat through the day and save the game for his team, Kumble said of Chase in the post-match press conference.
"So obviously, Chase's approach today was very good. He looked to attack when needed to and blocked literally every ball, so kept our bowlers at bay, which was obviously disappointing from the outside.
"As I mentioned, I think all their batters, right from (Jermaine) Blackwood, (Jason) Holder and (Shane) Dowrich, all of them applied themselves and it's something that we also have to sit down and analyse as to how we're going to get the last five wickets because in this series they have certainly contributed." Chase became the first West Indies player since Garry Sobers in 1966 to score a century and take a five-wicket haul in the same Test.
Battling to avoid another ignominious innings defeat in the four-match series and facing a 256-run deficit before heading into the final day, a beleaguered West Indies produced a determined effort to erase the deficit, losing only two wickets while batting for 88.1 overs on day five.
This gritty display was in stark contrast to the rain-truncated fourth day's play where the hosts lost four wickets within 15.5 overs after India declared their first innings at 500-9.
Chase, playing only his second Test match, remained unbeaten on 137 off 269 balls and in the process stitched three match-saving partnerships with Jermaine Blackwood (63), Shane Dowrich (74) and captain Holder.
Kumble further said that India were in the commanding position for most of the sessions but pointed out that the lack of play on the fourth day due to bad weather dented his side's chances of taking a 2-0 lead in the series.
"Obviously we wanted to win this Test match. Yesterday, I thought, we were in a very good position and credit to the West Indies batsmen, the way they batted," the legendary Indian spinner said.
"Yesterday, the time lost was very crucial for us, because we were in great momentum and the conditions were such that, it could have been different if we had probably bowled yesterday.
There was loss of play, more than 100 overs in this Test match. But all those factors mattered. In the end, credit to the West Indian batsmen, how they batted today and their application as well," he observed.
India are still leading the four-match series 1-0 and will aim to take an unassailable 2-0 lead when they will play the third Test on August 9 at Gros Islet.
Source: ANI
