… India pacer reaches 100 Test  wickets
WEST INDIES middle-order batsman Marlon Samuels and 22-year-old fast bowler Ishant Sharma were the two bright lights on another dull day in the second Digicel Test match between the two teams at the Kensington Oval in Barbados yesterday.
The 30-year-old Samuels made a resilient unbeaten 78 that took him 178 balls to compile while he batted for 248 minutes hitting eight fours, but it was not good enough as Sharma’s 6-55 ripped through the home team’s lower order to bowl them out for 190 on another rain-truncated day.
Scores in the match: India 201 and 23-0 West Indies 190.
Following the loss of 63 minutes play in the morning session, the West Indies, who resumed on their overnight score of 98 for 3 in reply to India’s 201 with Samuels and Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 21 and 20 respectively, got to their 100 in the second over of the day when Chanderpaul turned Praveen Kumar through midwicket.
Samuels posted the 50-run partnership between himself and Chanderpaul, when he steered Kumar to third man for his fourth four while Chanderpaul helped him celebrate the achievement when he top-edged a short delivery from Ishant Sharma to long leg for four, as the West Indies moved to 113 for 5.
India removed Chanderpaul just before the lunch break, when the 36-year-old left-hander pulled a short delivery from Abhimanyu Mithun onto his stumps, bringing an end to his sixth wicket partnership with Samuels, while his contribution to the team’s total of 134 at his demise was 37 made off 117 balls with one four, and he batted for 171 minutes.
Samuels was joined by fellow Jamaican Carlton Baugh (2) and they took the West Indies to 138 for 6 at lunch, with Samuels on 40 and Baugh 1 as the West Indies scored 40 runs in the rain-aborted session for the loss of Chanderpaul’s wicket.
Baugh did not last long after lunch since he was caught by Rahul Dravid at slip,  when he attempted to run a delivery from Harbajhan Singh to third man.
Samuels who was joined by his skipper Darren Sammy, continued to resist the Indians by registering his 11th Test half-century, doing so off 136 balls with five fours while batting for 197 minutes, when he steered a short delivery from Mithun to point.
Suresh Raina attempted to run him out at the non-striker’s end, but missed the stumps while Kumar’s backing up display went awry, as the ball eluded him and sped away to the boundary for overthrows, bringing up the West Indies 150 in the 64th over.
Samuels celebrated his half-century with two fours struck off Sharma and Harbhajan Singh, while Sammy drove Kumar past mid-on for his first four and Samuels punched the same bowler through point two balls later for another four, to push the West Indies to 176 for 7.
Sharma got to  his 100th Test wicket in his 33rd match, when Sammy was adjudged lbw for 15, but not before he added 43 for the eighth wicket with Samuels who was on 77, following which rain stopped play at 13:55hrs with the West Indies on 189 for 8.
Sharma continued to impress on the Kensington  pitch which was offering lots of bounce to the fast bowlers and when play resumed 20 minutes later,  he dismissed Rampaul who edged one to Raina at slip then had Fidel Edwards  caught at the wicket   with the very  next ball, to end with his best figures in a Test match to date.
Samuels was left high and dry on 78  as the home team fought back gallantly despite the adverse conditions, losing their final five wickets for 92 runs.
India reached 20 without loss off five overs in their second innings, before rain interrupted play with Abhinav Mukund and Vijay unbeaten on 8 and 2 respectively at 14:55hrs, but when play resumed at 17:09, three more runs were added to the total, before the players were sent scampering off the field at 17:12hrs for the final time.

INDIA first  innings 201
West INDIES first innings (o/night 98/5)
A.Barath c Kohli b Sharma    3
L. Simmons c wkp. Dhoni b Kumar    2
R. Sarwan lbw Sharma18
D. Bravo c wkp. Dhoni b Sharma    13
D. Bishoo c Kohli b Sharma    13
S. Chanderpaul b Mithun    37
M. Samuels not out    78
C. Baugh c Dravid b Harbajhan Singh    2
D. Sammy lbw Sharma    15
R. Rampaul c Vijay b Sharma    0
F. Edwards c MS Dhoni b Sharma    0
Extras: (lb-3, w-5, nb-5)    13
Total: (all out, off 73.5 overs)    190
Fall of wickets 1-3, 2-5, 3-30, 4-53, 5-57, 6-134, 7-143, 8-186, 9-190.
Bowling: Kumar 23-3-67-1, Sharma 21.5-7-55-6 (nb-2, w-1), Mithun 15-6-32-2 (nb-3), Singh 14-3-31-1.

INDIA second innings
A. Mukund not out    8
M. Vijay not out    3
Extras: (w-5, nb-1, lb-6)    12
Total: (without loss, from 5.4 overs)    23
Bowling: Edwards 3-1-13-0 (w-5, nb-1), Rampaul 2.4-1-4-0.