Meditative Rahul secures big lead

West Indies captain Jason Holder earned a richly-deserved wicket at the end of an excellent spell of bowling, but India remained firmly in control at 425 for six at lunch on the third day of the second Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Monday.

That gave the tourists a lead of 229 runs after the home side's meagre first innings total of 196.

Ajinkya Rahane survived a searching examination from medium-pacer Holder and benefitted from a dropped chance off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo to be unbeaten on 74 at the interval.

However the West Indies finally enjoyed a bit of success for their discipline and persistence with the ball when wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha was ruled leg-before to Holder for 47 on the stroke of the interval.

Their sixth-wicket partnership was worth 98 runs and further solidified India's already dominant position in the match, even though they were again kept to a pedestrian scoring rate with only 67 runs added in the two hours of play.

Holder, who had gone wicketless through 54 overs in the series, troubled Rahane consistently in a nine-over spell after replacing fast bowler Shannon Gabriel 40 minutes into the session.

In one particularly testing over, he had three vehement LBW appeals turned down and twice beat the outside edge of the well-set batsman.

Bishoo should have claimed a wicket at the other end but Rajendra Chandrika failed to hold on to a low diving effort at backward-point when Rahane, on 65, top-edged an attempted cut.

A weather forecast of torrential rain on the fourth day suggests that the Indians may be inclined to pursue quick runs in the day's second session and seek to put the West Indies under greater pressure in their second innings by the close of play.

Earlier Lokesh Rahul's Test-best of 158 anchored India's formidable reply to the West Indies first innings total of 196.

Making the most of a recall to the team as replacement for the injured Murali Vijay, Rahul interspersed moments of rare aggression with long periods of watchful defiance over his near seven-hour occupation of the crease in compiling his third hundred in just six Tests.

Notwithstanding the mid-innings wobble, India remain firmly in control with Ajinkya Rahane and Amit Mishra at the crease at lunch. At the moment, the way things are going it seems as though India are cruising to a two-nil lead in the series.