Cricket: Gayle, Ganga help West Indies to 207-1

India's Munaf Patel reacts after bowling to Daren Ganga of West Indies. Picture / Reuters

BASSETERRE, St Kitts - Contrasting innings by openers Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga earned the West Indies the honours on the first day of the third cricket test against India today.

The West Indies, who won the toss and chose to bat, reached 207 for one on a day shortened to 64 overs by rain.

Ganga was 64 not out with Ramnaresh Sarwan on 44 in a stand of 64 for the unbroken second wicket. The slow-scoring Ganga needed 184 balls to eke out his runs and he hit just six fours.

Gayle slammed a belligerent 83 off 127 balls with eight fours and five sixes. Together Gayle and Ganga put on 143 for the first wicket.

Opening bowlers Munaf Patel and Shanta Sreesanth extracted bounce but they were unable to make a real impression and in the 15th over India captain Rahul Dravid brought leg-spinner Anil Kumble into the attack.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who is playing his first match of the series, was handed the ball three overs later, and the duo operated in tandem for the last 13 overs before tea.

Gayle seemed to take little heed of the change of pace and in Harbhajan's third over launched sixes over long-on and long-off.

The aggressive opening batsman seemed headed for what would have been his eighth test century, but he played a role in his own dismissal in the seventh over after tea.

Patel came around the wicket to the left-handed Gayle, who chose not to play a delivery that was pitched on his off-stump and looked down in horror as the ball held its line to send the stump tumbling down the ground.

The West Indies' scoring rate dwindled after Gayle's dismissal, but Sarwan's willingness to use his feet when facing the spinners kept the scoreboard ticking over.

Patel took one for 53 and Kumble bowled with fine control to finish with figures of nought for 54 from 21 overs. Harbhajan was one for 57 from 12 overs.

The match is the first test to be played at Warner Oval, which became the ninth test match venue in the West Indies. The four-game series is level at 0-0 after the first two matches were drawn.

- REUTERS