India start day 2 at 361/4 off 85 overs with Dravid on 95 and Kaif on 18. Earlier, Sehwag spanked 180 off only 190 balls.

The pitch is docile and apart from the ball that reversed to shatter Yuvraj’s stumps, there has been nothing for the bowlers. This is a strange pitch. In between patches of green there are bald areas which may loosen over the next 3 days to the benefit of Kumble. Till at least early on the 4^th. day, this pitch will remain a batsman’s paradise and it is imperative that India bat the whole day today. Otherwise, expect another draw.

Sehwag showed, once again, that he is a better test than ODI batsman now. The very slow pace of the pitch meant that he wasn’t tested by too many short balls before the one that got him. That was a blessing, as his weakness against the short ones at the body is quite evident.

Rahul, I thought, paced his inning very well. Unlike the last test, his scoring here has been faster. A batsman of his class can and should do more than just keep his wicket intact. That is what separates Dravid from, say, Anshuman Gaikwad.

VVS is looking very, very ordinary. In the second innings in Antigua, he was out to the ugliest stroke of his career. Here, he fished at one well outside off while rooted to the crease ( 0 off 10 balls ). It is all very well to talk about silken touch and grace but the biggest sign of class is runs on the board. Without matching scores, all talk of class is just that – talk. When Tendulker returns to the side, the pressure on VVS will increase and the margin of error will shorten. Unless he gets a couple of big ones, I am afraid he may not be around for too long. And that, is only fair.

The team should aim to keep the Windies in the field for as long as they can. The target should be to get at least 600.