Cricket-India win toss and choose to bat in second test

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opt to bat first in the second test next to West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday.

West Indies bring in paceman Kemar Roach for Ravi Rampaul, who has been admitting in a hospital with a distress stomach, while opener Adrian Barath replaces Kieran Powell.

India retains the same side than won the first test in Delhi to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Teams:

India: Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav.


West Indies: Adrian Barath, Kraigg Brathwaite, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh, Darren Sammy, Kemar Roach, Fidel Edwards, Devendra Bishoo.

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India strike West Indies by 5 wickets to lead series 1-0

India hit West Indies by five wickets in the first test to take a 1-0 go ahead in the three-match series on Wednesday.

Sachin Tendulkar cut down short of his 100th international ton but his luminous 76 helped India beat West Indies by five wickets in the first test on Wednesday.

Tendulkar, who reach 15,000 test runs on Tuesday, together his 62nd test half-century as India chase down the 276-run victory aim just after the lunch smash with the loss of five wickets.

India’s run-chase had a solid basis lay by Virender Sehwag’s fifty on day three, and Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman faced every confront posed by the WIndies on Wednesday; however, it was disaster for the swarm as the little master once once more unsuccessful to complete his ton of tons.

After Tendulkar bring up his 62nd half century, all eyes were on him even as strokes came with regularity off VVS Laxman’s bat. Tendulkar reacted by playing a few violent strokes that swelled his score to 76. But he misread the length of a Devendra Bishoo delivery and was adjudged lbw at 76.

Rahul Dravid was the first man to fall on to reduce India to 162/3. Dravid could add only one to his immediately score of 30. Tendulkar and Laxman then combined for a 71-run fluent partnership, which broken with the former’s removal from office when India needed just 43 more to win. Yuvraj Singh and Laxman then took the total to 254/4 at Lunch as India scored 102 runs in the first session off 29 overs.

Laxman finished his 55th half century in the post-Lunch session off 91 balls. It was also his 11th next to the West Indies. However, Yuvraj got out for 18 when India wanted just one run to win. Dhoni then came out to accompany Laxman, who hit the winning boundary to end at 61 not out as India won by five wickets.

Debutant Ravichandran Ashwin was named the Man of the Match for his 9-wicket pull in the match.It was a much-needed win for India, who lost their top test ranking after a 4-0 whitewash in England.

The second Test begins from November 14 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

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