Twitter Reactions: Rishabh Pant and Ajinkya Rahane keep India ahead after Umesh Yadav's six-fer

Despite a spirited show from the Windies bowlers, Team India has managed to restore parity with their first innings score on the second day of the Test match. The likes of Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant and Ajinkya Rahane slammed half-centuries as the hosts ended the day on 308 runs for the loss of four wickets, only three runs behind the opposition’s total.

Shaw once again looked flawless in his approach and stamped his authority on the Windies bowlers just like he did in Rajkot. The youngster unfurled his trademark strokes which were pleasing to the eyes. Even the commentators were in awe of his backfoot punches. However, Shaw threw his wicket away when he was playing superbly on 70 off just 53 deliveries. He drove Jomel Warrican’s flighted delivery straight into the mid-wicket fielder’s hands.

Soon, Cheteshwar Pujara was nipped out by Shannon Gabriel and the visitors were back in the game. However, Virat Kohli’s arrival coupled with the calmness of Ajinkya Rahane kept India afloat. They weathered the rejuvenated storm of the opposition by stitching a crucial 60-run partnership for the fourth wicket. But Jason Holder set up Kohli nicely and pinned him in front of the stumps on 45. There was no big score for the Indian captain this time around.

Rahane and Pant lead India’s recovery

Rahane didn’t perturb with the captain’s wicket and kept on playing his own game of patience. He was joined by Rishabh Pant whose glare sucked the life out of the Windies bowling slowly. The left-hander mixed caution with aggression superbly and made sure India were at advantage in the final session. The duo added an unbeaten stand of 146 runs for the fifth wicket by the end of the day’s play.

Both, Rahane and Pant, are approaching their respective centuries and would be hoping to continue in the same vein on the third day. India, at 308/4, are ahead in the contest now and will look to take a significant lead in the first innings as the pitch is deteriorating fast in Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, Holder and Co. toiled hard and even bowled well in spells to keep the hosts in check. But they couldn’t seize on to the final session of the day and are left to do a lot of hard work tomorrow. They were guilty of giving away some easy runs when the pressure could’ve been created.

Umesh leads the way

Earlier in the day, Umesh Yadav cleaned up Windies’ tail comfortably after they resumed at 295/7. He managed to reverse the ball significantly and ended up with the magical figures of 6/88. His second five-wicket haul came after almost six years. Roston Chase reached his century though who played superbly during his marathon stay at the crease and helped his team recover from 113/5 to 311.

Here’s how Twitter reacted during the course of play:

Keep following CricTracker for more news and updates.