Kolkata, Nov 16: India need just seven wickets to win the Kolkata Test and take an unassailable 2-0 series lead against the West Indies. This after the hosts bowled the visitors out for 153 in their first innings and then had them on the back-foot in the second innings at 195 for the loss of three wickets having enforced the follow-on.

The visitors had a horrible first session where they lost all their wickets in the first innings for the addition of just 119 runs. Having survived Pragyan Ojha’s very first delivery of the day, one that landed on leg stump and missed off, Kirk Edwards (16) was soon trapped lbw by the left-arm spinner. MS Dhoni then introduced R Ashwin to get rid of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a move which paid immediate dividends; Ashwin had Chanderpaul trapped lbw on 4 striking a vital blow to the visitors.

Umesh Yadav then provided the next couple of breakthroughs for India when he uprooted Darren Bravo’s (30) and Marlon Samuels’ (25) stumps. West Indies were on 99 for six when Samuels was dismissed by Yadav.

Darren Sammy (18 off 14) and Fidel Edwards (16 off 16) swung their bats briefly but that didn’t prevent India from bowling the visitors out for 153 in just 48 overs. To put things in perspective, India had batted a whopping 151.2 overs in their first innings. Pragyan Ojha was the leading wicket-taker with figures of four for 64.

MS Dhoni had no hesitation in enforcing the follow-on and the West Indies openers found themselves out into the middle for the second time in this match, immediately after lunch. After Kraigg Brathwaite (9) edged a delivery from Umesh Yadav to Dhoni, the visitors finally showed some fight to deny India any further wickets in the second session of the day’s play.

Adrian Barath helped himself to a half-century while Kirk Edwards remained unbeaten on 43 as West Indies went in to tea at 116 for the loss of Brathwaite’s wicket. However, Ishant Sharma dismissed both batsmen in the final session of the day to bring India within seven wickets of winning the match. Barath (62) was caught by VVS Laxman at second slip off the fourth ball after tea, while Edwards, who also reached his half-century, was trapped lbw by Sharma for an individual score of 60.

Darren Bravo (38*) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (21*) were batting for the West Indies when stumps were declared.

Brief scores:

At end of Day 3: India 1st innings 631/7 decl. in 151.2 overs (VVS Laxman 176*, Kemar Roach 2/106); West Indies 1st innings 153 all out in 48.0 overs (Darren Bravo 30, Pragyan Ojha 4/64) and West Indies 2nd innings 195/3 in 62.0 overs (Adrian Barath 62, Ishant Sharma 2/41)

At end of Day 2: India 1st innings 631/7 decl. in 151.2 overs (VVS Laxman 176*, MS Dhoni 144, Rahul Dravid 119, Kemar Roach 2/106); West Indies 1st innings 34/2 in 12.0 overs (Kirk Edwards 12*, Darren Bravo 4*, R Ashwin 1/21)

At end of Day 1: India 1st innings 346/5 in 87.3 overs (Rahul Dravid 119, VVS Laxman 73*, Gautam Gambhir 65, Fidel Edwards 1/45)