Beating India at home has now become one of the biggest challenges for all Test playing nations. So formidable has been the home run of Saurav Ganguly and his boys that even the best of teams like Australia were made to go back with memories they’d love to forget. Now, it is the turn of the visiting West Indians who are being made to realise this home truth of the Indians.Three days into their tour of three-Test Exide Cup series and they have already been exposed to the harsh realities. Being baked under "killing" humid conditions for two days by the Indian batsmen, West Indies suddenly found out that batting afterall wasn’t that easy on the so-called dead track. SCOREBOARD India (1st Innings): 457 West Indies (1st Innings): C.Gayle lbw Zaheer Khan 7; W.Hinds c sub (Das) b Harbhajan 1; R.Sarwan lbw Kumble 22; M.Dillon b Srinath 21; S.Chanderpaul c & b Kumble 54; C.Hooper c Bangar b Zaheer Khan 23; R.Hinds lbw Zaheer Khan 9; R.Jacobs c Ganguly b Zaheer Khan 0; M.Nagamootoo c Harbhajan b Kumble 9; P.Collins lbw Kumble 0; C.Cuffy not out 4; Extras (lb-5, nb-2): 7 Total: (All out, in 74.5 overs) 157 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-27, 3-43, 4-59, 5-103, 6-119, 7-123, 8-145, 9-146 Bowling: Srinath 11-5-16-1, Zaheer Khan 16-4-41-4, Harbhajan Singh 21-8-37-1, Kumble 24.5-6-51-4, Sehwag 2-0-7-0. West Indies (2nd Innings): C.Gayle batting 34; W.Hinds b Harbhajan 40; R.Sarwan batting 9; Extras (lb-7, nb-1): 8 Total: (For 1 wkt) 91 Fall of wickets: 1-60 Bowling: Srinath 4-2-19-0, Zaheer Khan 3-0-17-0, Bangar 6-1-20-0, Harbhajan Singh 9-3-24-1, Kumble 4-2-2-0, Tendulkar 1-0-2-0. Facing the mountain-like India first innings total of 457, the visitors, reduced to 33 for 2 overnight, were bowled out for a meagre 157 soon after tea on day three at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday. In the deficit by 300 runs and asked to follow on, the West Indies finished the day at 91/1 facing an innings defeat.Nothing seemed to work for the West Indies and they may well curse their luck too. While the weather was merciless when they fielded for the first two days, it turned "pleasant" for the hosts what with a cloud cover and droplets of rain greeting the day’s proceedings.Left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan made the most of it as he blossomed, bowling with fire and venom to return with career-best figures of 16-4-41-4 in his 21st Test. The experienced leg-spinner Anil Kumble provided an ideal back up claiming his share of four wickets. The 24-year-old Zaheer bettered his previous best of 4/72 at Kandy, Sri Lanka last year.India were on the job right from the word go as the West Indies batsmen showed little inclination of making a fightback. Kumble provided India the breakthrough trapping Ramnaresh Sarwan plumb in front of the wicket with a ball that kept low in the 7th over of the morning.Nightwatchman Mervyn Dillon soon reacted with aggression carting Kumble at widish long on for a six. But the batsman was soon castled by Javagal Srinath. The sharp incutter gave little chance to Dillon.It brought the two Guyanese Shivnaraine Chanderpaul and skipper Carl Hooper together. Hooper, playing his 100th Test looked his composed self while Chanderpaul — a thorn in India’s flesh when the side toured the Caribbean early this year — was dogged in his trademark style.The duo defied further loss but only till just after lunch as all the more hungry Zaheer Khan swung into action to strike the telling blows. The strapping paceman clinched the prize scalp of Hooper hurling a short one at him. Hooper, who till then had applied the safety first approach, committed the cardinal sin of going for the instinctive hook shot only to find the safe hands of Sanjay Bangar at the long-leg fence.Buoyed by the success, Baroda-man Zaheer continued his charge sending back Ryan Hinds leg before wicket and Ridley Jacobs caught at short mid-off by Ganguly. While Hinds was beaten by the sheer pace, Jacobs was done in by a slower one. With six back in the pavilion, Kumble returned to hound the rest again. The determined Chanderpaul was the last to fall with Kumble collecting a good catch off his own bowling soon after the tea break.Chanderpaul has the highest contribution of 54 runs to the tally of 157. He fought hard for 236 minutes facing 159 balls and driving five fours. Made to return to the crease, the Windies openers now improved on their show. They seemed to progress well before Harbhajan Singh made one to go round Wavell Hinds’ legs to clip the top of the bails. Hinds till then had dominated the stand of 60 runs making 40 with nine strong hits to the fence. The gate opened, India may well look to run through the side on the morrow. They have two full days at their disposal though to complete the task.
