Williams takes Windies to a likely draw

When Navjot Singh Sidhu walked on to the pitch on Monday morning, the mood in the Indian dressing room was unquestionably buoyant. The opener was just four runs away from a double hundred, and the team seemed set to impose a huge first innings lead on the West Indians, a margin that would make victory a certainty, ensuring an Indian Test triumph for the first time in the Caribbean in 21 years.

But when did the Sachin Tendulkar repertory company ever play according to the script?

Some ten minutes after play began, Saurav Ganguly whose inertia cost India at least 40 runs in the last session on Sunday evening finally cut loose. Only to see Shivnarine Chanderpaul at cover pluck the ball out of mid-air. End of Ganguly, for 6.

The next batsman in, Azza was expected to accelerate the scoring, to ensure that India made up for what was lost after Walsh ran out Tendulkar on Sunday.

But how long does Azza stay at the wicket these days?

This time it was not a wild slash to gully that did him in. It was an uncharacteristic essay in catatonia at the crease. The former skipper went forward to an Ambrose delivery -- catastrophic on a track like the Queens Park Oval -- and was bowled for 1.

In all this gloom, Sidhu at least got his double century by flicking Ambrose off his pads for two after a 40 minute wait. Three balls later, the 33-year-old was gone, bowled by an Ambrose leg-side yorker.

Sidhu's was the second slowest double hundred in Tests, occupying 673 minutes and 491 balls and laced with 19 fours and a six. The eleventh Indian to reach the 200 mark, the innings was a personal triumph for the Punjab opener who was banished to Coventry after leaving the English tour mid-way last summer.

If Ambrose was the destroyer, debutant Mervyn Dillon whom Walsh chose to bowl the the third new ball, made his mark, taking wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia for 17, and then Abey Kuruvilla and Venkatesh Prasad, both to edged drives, off consecutive balls.

Earlier, he had forced Anil Kumble to retire hurt. Struck in the groin the Indian vice-captain writhed in agony on the turf as Walsh playfully waved his hat over the supine spinner.

India took lunch at 420 for 9, and it was a pleasant surprise to see Kumble resume the innings with Sunil Joshi. The Karnataka duo added 16 runs before Joshi was last out, for 24, hitting an Ambrose full toss straight, but low to Walsh at mid-off.

The last seven Indian wickets went for 69 runs. Largely as a result of Ambrose's 17th five-wicket haul (5 for 87) and the 22-year-old Dillon's 3 for 92.

Carl Hooper got a fair bit of turn when he came on for a few overs and the television commentators were certain that the Indian spinners -- Kumble and Joshi -- would run amuck when they came on.

But when have the Indian bowlers delivered on cue?

Sure Kumble turned the ball a bit as did Joshi as did Laxman. But the consistency that would keep the West Indians on edge was missing. Joshi would bowl a couple of good balls and then take the pressure off the Windies batsmen by some bad bowling.

A career-best unbeaten 63 from opener Stuart Williams led a strong West Indies response and conceived a likely draw in the second Test at Port of Spain.

At close of play the Windies were 22 short of erasing the first first innings deficit of 140. Unless the Indians run through the Caribbean side in the first hour on Tuesday, the danger of defeat is past for Walsh and Co.

On Monday evening in 59 overs, the Indian bowlers could only force out Sherwin Campbell, who became just the second batsman to be given out leg before wicket in the match. The Barbadian had made four when Kuruvilla got one to cut in and hit him in front with the score at 25.

Both Williams and Chanderpaul batted with confidence for a second wicket stand of 93.

The 27-year-old Williams, in his 14th Test, notched his second half century, passing his previous best of 62 against England at Nottingham in 1995 off the day's penultimate ball, which he hit for his seventh four.

The Leeward Islands batsman has batted 232 minutes and faced 169 balls while the Guyanese Chanderpaul has hit five fours in his 160-minute knock which spanned 131 deliveries.

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