Antigua: After being reduced to 189/8 on Day 2 of the ongoing first Test between India and West Indies, all-rounder Roston Chase said that the team gave away their wickets and were unable to grind it out in the middle.
“I thought the pitch was easier to bat on first for the Indian team. Most of our guys got starts, but we gave our wickets just too easily today. We have a couple of wickets left and we have a chance of cutting into that lead,” Chase told reporters after the close of play on day two.
Chase was looking good in the middle, having scored 48 runs. But Ishant Sharma sent the right-hander back to the pavilion to peg the Windies back. Chase said that a lapse in concentration cost his wicket.
“Well, my thought was just to stay hungry at the crease. But I gave my wicket away. I was looking good, but a lapse in concentration cost me my wicket. For me, the ball did not do much, I did not let it come to me as much as I should have. I could have played with softer hands,” Chase said.
On day two, Windies had scalped the wicket of Rishabh Pant quite early, but Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja formed a 60-run partnership to take the Indian team to a safe position in the match.
“In Test cricket, these things do happen. After our initial spell, the Indian batsmen played well. Our bowlers kept on toiling hard. We tried a little too hard on day two, it cost us a little. Energy went down during the partnership between Jadeja and Ishant. But once we got the wicket, we wrapped up their innings quickly,” Chase said.
“I thought the wicket has quickened up now. Our batsmen could have just to our advantage, but we gave our wickets away. None of us got any special delivery, it was just a matter of lapse in concentration,” he added.
Ahead of the Windies-India series, the team from the Caribbean had a pre-series camp involving former West Indies greats like Ramnaresh Sarwan and Brian Lara. “I have been working hard in the pre-camp. I worked with Sarwan and Lara. One of the things I asked to work on in the pre-camp was getting a start and then carrying on in the innings. I was disappointed to get out in the manner I did in this match,” Chase said.
“I could do a better job in bowling. My main job is to keep it tight from one end. I can always improve. I hope of doing a better job next time around,” he added. West Indies will resume day three of the first Test at 189/8, still 108 runs behind India.