Rain interrupts play as India take early wickets

ROSEAU (DOMINICA): Indian seamers had West Indies in a spot of bother at 75 for three before rain interrupted play on the opening day of the third and final cricket Test here today.

In-form pacer Ishant Sharma struck twice while Praveen Kumar chipped in with one before the heavens opened up leading to a stoppage in play shortly after the lunch break.

At the time of interruption, Darren Bravo was batting on 22 while Shivnarine Chanderpaul was unbeaten on 17, with 31.1 overs being bowled.

The two had added 40 runs for the fourth wicket in 14.2 overs.

Sent into bat, the hosts were 64 for three at lunch, thanks to the early inroads made by Ishant and Praveen at the Windsor Park, which is hosting its maiden Test.

After Mahendra Singh Dhoni decided to bowl with the hope that his seamers would get the team some quick wickets, Ishant and Praveen lived up to the skipper's expectations by removing Adrian Barath and debutantes Kieran Powell and Kirk Edwards.

Ishant showed no after-effects of a facial injury he suffered yesterday, returning figures of two for 23.

While Kumar gave the team its first breakthrough by having Powell caught at second slip by VVS Laxman, Ishant, bowling the bouncers to good effect, sent back Barath and Edwards.

Ishant, who rattled the hosts with a 10-wicket haul in the drawn second Test at Kensington Oval, looked in good nick here as well.

Munaf Patel, playing in his first Test of the three-match series at the expense of Abhimanyu Mithun, bowled economically, though without success.

If Praveen and Ishant began with maiden overs, Munaf, who returned to Test cricket after two years, did even better as first change by bowling three maidens on the trot.

Earlier Powell, who got his first Test runs -- a three off a push into covers against Ishant -- didn't get to score any further as Praveen found the edge of his defensive bat with a peach of a delivery.

Barath, after being flustered with a caught behind appeal down the legside by Ishant, edged a pull onto his stumps off the very next delivery.

Ishant picked up his third wicket of the morning when he had Edwards who was unlucky to be judged caught behind by debutant Test umpire Richard Kettleborough of England as the rising delivery hit his helmet, and not the bat, on way to Dhoni.

West Indies would now look to Bravo and veteran Chanderpaul to bail them out.

This is Chanderpaul's 133rd Test match, the highest by any West Indian cricketer. Courtney Walsh, with 132 Tests under his belt, held the previous record.

Bravo looked the best of all home batsmen and scored two fours ? a square cut against Ishant past point and then, a backfoot cover drive against Harbhajan Singh.

While Munaf is the only change in the Indian line-up, West Indies made two changes, with Powell and Edwards being preferred over Lendl Simmons and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Keywords: Latest sports news, Ishant Sharma, cricket news,West Indies,Ishant Sharma