FOUR DAYS OF DESPAIR, ONE OF JOY!

Just when the fading glow of hope started to vanish completely, there was an unexpected flicker which gave many a reason to believe that Test Cricket has many more innings to come. The third test between India and WI’s was turning out to be a lifeless event, till fifth day came to the rescue and what a day it turned out to be! Well, you talk about drama, suspense or excitement, we witnessed it all.

                         With WI’s batting on 81/2 at stumps on fourth day, there was not much people would have expected from the upcoming day. Ojha, however turned things around when he took the first five wickets leaving the Indies struggling at 112/5. The ball was turning big, and the Indian spinners capitalised on the strip. There wasn't much in it for the seamers as it was evident from the fact that all ten wickets belonged to the spinners. Ashwin after a brilliant performance with  the bat followed it up with four wickets in the 3^rd innings(9^th of the match). India were set a target of 243 with 64 overs left to be bowled.

                        Sehwag got right into the act and a repeat of the famous Chennai test against England was on the cards. Toying with the field en route his 60, India were favourites at the moment. The day had more drama to offer, though. Sehwag fell, Sachin and Dravid followed as India was left in a desperate need for partnerships. Kohli looked determined to get India across the line and till he was on the crease, an Indian victory was the most probable option. However with his departure , four possible outcomes lay before us. The game could have headed in any direction, and it came down to the last over with none other than the performer of the match given a chance to add another star to his credits. What happened next is difficult to explain as India were unable to score 3 runs from 6 balls, giving Darren Sammy a reason to smile.Officially, the match ended in a draw but I would like to believe it was a win for the WI's and a loss for the Indians.                           Despite being adjudged the MoM, deep down somewhere Ashwin would be thinking “ Why did I hesitate to run two?”. Let’s just hope that the public does not remember him for this error, as he was undoubtedly the Player of the Series.