After Gill and Rahane cheaply lose in the second test against the West Indies, Kohli and Jadeja save India.

In Dominica, Virat Kohli has shown his ability to score runs without frequently hitting the centre of the bat. He didn't speak very well during the first Test, but he still managed 76 on a surface that was everything but a featherbed.

That performance served Kohli well as he helped India escape a precarious scenario on the opening day of the second Test against the West Indies on Thursday at Port of Spain, Trinidad.

India had stumbled to 182/4 at tea following a century-long opening stand, but Kohli (batting 87) found a reliable ally in Ravindra Jadeja (batting 36), who helped the visitors complete the day on 288/4. The unbroken fifth-wicket partnership has produced 106 runs so far.

It is now reasonable to say that the gap between the two teams in this series is condition-agnostic and that it mostly stems from the discipline and execution of fundamentals required at the highest level, particularly at critical moments. With four wickets, the hosts arrived a session later, but by that point, India had already established the pace of the second Test. In their first two innings of the series, the visitors had already attained a total that the host team had not. While Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a fifty to help India advance, Rohit Sharma fell 20 runs short of reaching his century. India will be concerned about the form of Ajinkya Rahane and Shubman Gill, who both made costly errors. The West Indies, however, were unable to further weaken the Indian lineup following a stellar middle session, giving Rohit & Co. the victory for the day.

A Familiar Tale

While the West Indies opted for a dry and dusty pitch in Dominica, the surface in Trinidad was expected to favor their fast bowlers. Kraigg Brathwaite, winning the toss, hoped for early life and movement in the Queen's Park Oval track. However, the execution required to exploit these conditions was lacking. Kemar Roach's first ball of the Test was a short and wide delivery, easily dispatched through the offside by debut centurion Jaiswal. The hosts' sloppy start continued throughout the first session, with a mix of short balls, half-volleys, and occasional full tosses, coupled with wide lines that failed to challenge the batsmen. As a result, the early promise of assistance in the track soon faded without yielding any rewards.

Jaiswal, the debut centurion, was fortunate to survive two chances. One was a high one over a leaping gully off a fierce slash, and the other a regulation catch opportunity to Alick Athanaze off Jason Holder on the penultimate delivery before lunch.

After being bowled out for 150 and 130, and suffering a home Test defeat in just three days despite winning the toss, one would have expected the West Indies team to show improvement and resilience. However, that didn't seem to be the case as they displayed a lackadaisical approach at the beginning of the historic 100th India-West Indies Test.

Although a few deliveries troubled Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma, the bowlers consistently followed them up with inaccurate deliveries, allowing the openers to escape unscathed. Both Roach and Alzarri Joseph were guilty of this, prompting Brathwaite to introduce the returning Shannon Gabriel quite early. Unfortunately, even Gabriel couldn't bring about the desired improvement. The introduction of Jomel Warrican, the sole specialist spinner in the XI, after just nine overs provided some control, but the Indian batsmen managed to reach their 50-run mark in just 10.4 overs, forcing Brathwaite to adopt a defensive approach.

Jaiswal, who seemed to be in top form after his impressive 171 in the previous innings, continued to play with confidence, attacking the bowlers from the outset. The pitch lacked enough pace for the pacers to exploit, and Jaiswal capitalized on one such delivery, effortlessly pulling it for a six over deep midwicket. In no time, he was confidently charging down the pitch to take on the seamers.

The Fightback Begins

Jaiswal, the left-handed batsman, has shown vulnerability outside off-stump, particularly when the ball is angled across him. The West Indies attempted to exploit this weakness by tempting him to play his shots in that region. However, their plan didn't yield results in the first session as Jaiswal raced to his fifty in just 49 balls, forming yet another century partnership with his opening partner.

At lunch, the scoreboard read an impressive 121 for no loss, indicating that Brathwaite's decision at the toss had backfired.

In the second session, the West Indies' performance improved significantly, despite Gabriel's occasional no-ball troubles. Holder continued to probe outside off-stump, and Jaiswal, having had enough of leaving balls alone, attempted a risky drive away from his body, only to find the fielder in the gully.

Gill, who had moved down to No.3 to accommodate Jaiswal at the top, began playing at deliveries outside off-stump, and it wasn't long before he edged one behind the wicket off Roach.

Throughout this period, Rohit didn't seem to be at his fluent best, but he displayed enough solidity to thwart the bowlers' efforts. Together with the veteran Kohli, who was playing his 500th international game, they decided to adopt a cautious approach, avoiding unnecessary risks.

However, Kohli's stay was cut short when he fell victim to a brilliant delivery from Warrican that spun past his outside edge, rattling the off-stump. Although Warrican may not be among the most celebrated contemporary spinners, his consistent performances make him a reliable asset for his captain, and he can dismiss top-quality batsmen when the pitch offers him some assistance.