Blackwood inspires Windies fightback India eye victory
An aggressive 63 from Jermaine Blackwood inspired much needed batting resistance by West Indies as the home team worked hard to avoid defeat on the fifth day of the second Test against India in Jamaica on Wednesday. With Blackwood and a more measured Roston Chase (70 not out) leading the way, West Indies lost just one wicket during the morning session to reach lunch on 215 for five in their second innings, trailing India by 89 runs. Having started the second innings with a deficit of 304, the Windies appeared to be heading for another heavy loss as they collapsed to 48 for four on a rain-hit fourth day but Blackwood's bold approach changed the tenor of the match. He smashed two sixes and nine fours in a 54-ball knock as he dominated a brisk fifth-wicket stand of 93 with Chase until he was superbly caught by a diving Cheteshwar Pujara, via bat-pad, off the spin bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin. Chase and Shane Dowrich (33 not out) then guided the home team to the safety of lunch with an unbroken partnership of 74 for the sixth wicket. However, the Windies still face immense pressure to avoid going 2-0 down in the four-Test series with two full sessions remaining in the match and a forecast for mainly fine weather. Their crushing defeat in the first game in Antigua meant the hosts had lost seven out of eight Tests, drawing the other game. The third test will be played at Gros Islet on the island of Saint Lucia from Aug. 9-13
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