The calculators were out all morning. How many runs, how many to avoid follow-on? After Wasim Jaffer and then an over later Rahul Dravid (to the Red Stripe Mound DJ’s cruel choice of ‘Another one bites the dust’) were shown the path back to the pavilion by Merv Dillon on Sunday evening, 223 was always going to be India’s first, and primary, target. It almost appeared preordained. They stuttered and they stumbled, and the last pair finally scampered off 11 short of their objective, after Ramnaresh Sarwan ran out the last man, to take quick stock of a shambles of an innings. Carl Hooper may have never really intended to enforce a follow on — periodic calls from the dressing room confirmed that — but the Indians handed the hosts avoidable largess, a mid-match morale booster. Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman took guard this morning with the scoreboard taunting them with a reading of 141 for four. In the first over of the day, Laxman dispatched Dillon twice to the mid-wicket region for a couple each, and the Indian campaign seemed to have begun in right earnest. Classy boundaries followed. A Laxman straight drive off Cameron Cuffy. A Ganguly cut past gully off Dillon. But as even a novice to cricket will tell you, when Indian batsmen are on the field, you cannot take anything for granted. So it was this morning. The skies, which showed signs of lowering, were still bright, but the familiar omens of an Indian collapse came rushing in. Ganguly helped along a Dillon delivery to keeper Ridley Jacobs (with the Prince on 36 and Indian still 55 runs away from a follow-on). Ajay Ratra, who’s been put through a crash (read: overnight) course in batting by coach John Wright, followed his skipper to the dressing room just 10 runs later. Six runs later, the Turbanator — fresh from lofty promises of a big innings to silence his critics once and for all —departed, walked his keeper’s walk to tragedy: short ball from Dillon, brilliant catch by Hinds at forward short leg, giving the Trinidadian his best stat, five for 71. Is that walk back to the dressing room so enchanting that the tail went rushing back with such alacrity? Zaheer Khan caught by Lara off Cuffy. Javagal Srinath, rescuer in so many tough situations on bouncy wickets in the past, caught by Chris Gayle off Pedro Collins for just two. And the DJ summed it all up with his choice for a musical interlude: "Ain’t no stopping us now." And last night cannot be a distant memory, as one remembers Sachin Tendulkar’s inexplicable shot to Adam ‘Innocuous’ Sanford after an innings that can only be described as majestic. But then there was the George Headley stand, and the great man’s words seemed be carried around by the strong breeze, that it’s the poor delivery he dreaded after concentrating hard to survive good ones. They were right, my tipsy pals in the Air Jamaica stand, ignoring the announcer’s call for calm, and pleading hoarsely to a dreadlocked cameraman down below. ‘Rastaman, hey Rastaman. This India-man (a spectator in their midst) not listening. He says India will win. Tell him, this is not Antigua.’ More than seven sessions lie ahead. That India-man may yet have cause to turn around and quip, "told you", India may yet scramble out of their temporary habitat, a deep hole. But for the moment walking on water in the debris-clogged Kingston harbour seems the easier option. At the end of each day’s play, these boys in Sahara shirts spend time in front of the computer, recalling most conscientiously footage of strokes attempted, deliveries delivered. Perhaps they had better rewind to the West Indian cricketers’ performance. The two sides, for all you knew, could have been playing on different tracks, with differing stakes. SCOREBOARD WI (1st innings): 422 India (1st innings): SS Das lbw Cuffy 33, W Jaffer c Jacobs b Dillon 0, R Dravid lbw Dillon 5, S Tendulkar b Sanford 41, S Ganguly c Jacobs b Dillon 36, VVS Laxman not out 65, A Ratra c Hinds b Dillon 3, H Singh c Hinds b Dillon 4, Z Khan c Lara b Cuffy 6, J Srinath c Gayle b Collins 2, A Nehra run out 0; Extras: (lb-6, nb-11) 17 Total: (In 75 overs) 212 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-15, 3-84, 4-86, 5-168, 6-178, 7-184, 8-194, 9-197 Bowling: Dillon 24-4-71-5, Cuffy 22-5-49-2, Collins 19-2-54-1, Sanford 9-1-27-1, Hooper 1-0-5-0 In the meantime, there are tidings of new cricketers arriving, familiar faces departing. Sarandeep Singh left today, rushing to New Delhi to get his Sri Lankan visa to join India A to replace Murali Karthik. The Windies, in turn, are dropping Dinanath Ramnarine and Adam Sanford. Pacer Corey Collymore will take customary place in the one-day squad, along with debutant Gareth Breese, spinner and allrounder, and son of the CEO of the Jamaican Cricket Association. But that will all be relevant another day. Right now, the India XI are stringing together a ladder to clamber out and catch a glimpse of the benign Jamaican sun. An hour before tea, Srinath — bowling a mean line in his opening spell — has Hinds caught by Laxman at second slip. And soon after, the Karnataka Express whistles in, tempting Gayle into edging the ball to gully. Sabina Park, finally filling up after schoolchildren are allowed in free, has finally come alive this working day. With more than seven sessions to go, those calculators are still out.
