PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC:
SPINNERS DINANATH Ramnarine and Mukesh Persad grabbed seven wickets between them to help Trinidad and Tobago snatch first innings points and take control against India A on the second day of their fourth round Carib Beer 2003 Cricket Series match at Wilson Road yesterday.
India A, responding to Trinidad and Tobago's first innings score of 261, suffered a middle-order collapse and slipped to 215 all out, and the home side consolidated their position to close at 69 without loss. Andy Jackson (46) and Imran Jan (19) were the not out batsmen at stumps with Trinidad and Tobago enjoying a healthy 115-run advantage entering the third day Sunday.
India A, starting their reply at the beginning of play Saturday, got a solid start from openers Akash Chopra and Gautam Gambhir, who posted 88 for the first wicket.
Gambhir struck six boundaries before he missed a drive against leg-spinner Ramnarine and was bowled for 41.
Chopra achieved his 50 just before the lunch break in 114 minutes off 75 balls with nine boundaries and was partnered by Conner Williams to lunch at 105 for one.
In the post-lunch session, the spin pair of Ramnarine and Persad induced big trouble for the visitors, who plummeted to 174 for seven at tea as the first innings race swung heavily in favour of Trinidad and Tobago. Chopra added only seven to his lunch time score before he gave a return catch to off-spinner Persad and departed for 58, with 10 fours. The talented India A captain VVS Laxman's wretched form continued as he departed three runs later without scoring.
Laxman, who entered the game with an appallingly low aggregate of four runs in three innings including a "pair" against Barbados, was trapped leg before wicket by Ramnarine at 119 for three.
Persad struck a quick double blow when he dislodged Ambati Rayudu (0) caught behind by Navin Chan at 125 for four, and 11 runs later removed Abhijit Kale (7) caught by Ramnarine at mid-wicket.
A fighting knock of 30 by number three batsman Williams ended when he was caught at slip by Daren Ganga off Ramnarine, and India "A" slipped further into trouble when Murali Kartik was run out for 15 just before the tea break, failing to beat Jackson's throw to the wicket-keeper from mid-on. Wicket-keeper Ajay Ratra defied the T&T bowlers after tea with an even unbeaten 50 off 101 balls, including five fours, but wickets tumbled around him and the innings folded 46 runs short of the home side's total.
Ramnarine trapped Amit Mishra (5) LBW and pacer Marlon Black wrapped up the innings when he bowled Lakshmipathy Balaji (2) and had Avishkar Salvi caught by Ganga at mid-off for six.
Ramnarine ended with four for 60 off 23 overs, Persad three for 67 off 24, and Black collected two for 24 off 9.3 overs.
Trinidad and Tobago had themselves suffered a similar collapse on the opening day folding for 261 all out, after they were coasting at 214 for two.
Jackson then smashed eight boundaries to near a half-century and Trinidad and Tobago enter day three in a strong position.
SCOREBOARD
Trinidad & Tobago first innings 261
(I.Jan 94; A.Salvi 4-58)
India A first innings
A.Chopra c&b Persad 58
G.Gambhir b Ramnarine 41
C.Williams c Ganga b Ramnarine 30
VVS Laxman lbw Ramnarine 0
A.Rayudu c wkp Chan b Persad 0
A.Kale c Ramnarine b Persad 7
+A.Ratra not out 50
M.Kartik run out 15
A.Mishra lbw Ramnarine 5
L.Balaji b Black 2
A.Salvi c Ganga b Black 6
Extras (nb1) 1
TOTAL (all out - 70.3 overs) 215
Fall: 1-88, 2-116, 3-119, 4-125, 5-136, 6-138, 7-168, 8-183, 9-201.
Bowling: Black 9.3-2-24-2 (1nb); Rampaul 9-1-45-0; Bravo 3-0-19-0; Persad 26-4-67-3; Ramnarine 23-4-60-4.
Trinidad & Tobago second innings
I.Jan not out 19
A.Jackson not out 46
Extras (b4) 4
TOTAL (without loss - 17 overs) 69
Bowling: Balaji 7-2-26-0; Salvi 5-0-32-0; Kartik 5-1-7-0.
Umpires: Evelyn Jones, Basant Sahadeo.
Toss: Trinidad & Tobago
