India restrict WI Board's XI to 67/3 at lunch

India dished out a disciplined bowling effort to restrict West Indies Cricket Board President's XI to 67 for three at lunch on the opening day of their final warm up match here today.
Medium pacer Stuart Binny (1/8), young right-arm fast bowler Shardul Thakur (1/13) and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (1/18) picked up a wicket each for India.
Jermaine Blackwood (12 not out) and Vishaul Singh (2 not out) were at the crease at the break.
Earlier, opting to bat after winning the toss, home side opener John Campbell (34) and skipper Leon Johnson (3) shared 27 runs for the first wicket stand before Thakur got the first breakthrough for India in the eighth over by picking up the wicket of Johnson caught by Binny.

Campbell played fluently for his 34 runs and struck six boundaries before he was stumped by Wriddhiman Saha off Ashwin.
One-down Shai Hope made 11 off 29 fours with the help of one boundary but he too perished soon, caught by Ashwin off Binny's bowling.

Mohammad Shami, returning from injury, went wicketless in the first session and was the most expensive bowler for India giving away 19 runs from his five overs.
Pacer Ishant Sharma, who played in the first warm-up game (July 9-10), was not named in the match which can have 13 players a side (11 batting, 11 fielding).

Brief Scores:
(REOPENS FGN 6)
Shami then came back to bowl another brilliant spell to go with his pre-lunch one, and had the keeper-batsman caught at second slip.
Ashwin completed the all-round display from the bowlers, as first, he ran out Jason Holder (1) who was in a terrible mix-up with Bravo going for a non-existent run, and then Alzarri Joseph was caught in the 43rd over.
In between Shami bounced out Bravo yet again, the ball lobbing to Rohit Sharma at short leg, the fielder having spent the entire day chatting with the left-hander.
In the morning, the visitors had declared their second innings at 217/7d (48 overs) as the hosts struggled in front of a 346-run target with 87 overs to bat. Kumar and Shami had started off proceedings, and the duo was right on the money with the new ball.

While the former tied down the batsmen with some tight swing, the latter used pace to force them back.
It resulted in a double success in the space of four balls, as Shami had Leon Johnson (0) caught at forward short leg, with Rohit Sharma completing a good anticipatory catch in the 4th over.
Four deliveries later, Kumar trapped Kraigg Brathwaite leg before even as the ball stayed low just a bit.
Marlon Samuels (12) then resisted for a short while and saw off the two bowlers, but he found Ishant Sharma (1-17) tough to handle as well. He played an uncharacteristic stroke to an incoming delivery and was bowled.

This was after India had declared their innings closed after 40 minutes of play in the morning session. Starting from the overnight 157/3, Rohit Sharma (41 1 four, 3 sixes) came out looking for quick runs but got a poor leg before decision from umpire Nigel Llong ended the former's stay after only two balls.
There was a thick inside edge, which the umpire failed to detect, and it wasn't his only howler as Wriddhiman Saha (14) was adjudged caught behind off a massive no-ball. Llong didn't even bother to go upstairs to the third umpire and the keeper-batsman was given his marching orders.

Miguel Cummins (6/48) benefitted on both occasions, and then picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket when Jadeja (16) was caught at deep cover going for a big shot.
Ashwin (1) then became his 6th dismissal and the last batsman out for India, as skipper Virat Kohli decided that it was time to bowl.