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WI reach 145/4 at Lunch after Ishant, Jadeja strike

Kingston: India inched closer towards another clean sweep after West Indies lost a couple of wickets to be reduced to 145 for 4 in pursuit of an improbable 468 in the second and final Test here on Monday.

West Indies require another 323 runs with only six wickets, if a physically indisposed Darren Bravo comes out to bat in the later stages.

Ishant Sharma (2/28) got his second wicket of the innings while Ravindra Jadeja (1/33) removed the dangerous Roston Chase but was unlucky not to have scalped Shamarh Brooks (36 batting off 84 balls) after overstepping.

Starting the day at 45 for 2, the hosts were left unsettled when Bravo (23 batting) added only five runs to his overnight score before complaining of uneasiness and left the ground.

The reason for his ill health couldn't be ascertained as a medical bulletin from the West Indies team management is expected.

Brooks was joined by a dogged Chase (12 off 36), who was ready to bring his best defensive game to the fore negotiating the troika of Jasprit Bumrah (0/22), Mohammed Shami (1/44) and Ishant safely.

However after a 41-run stand, it was Jadeja who trapped Chase leg-before as the umpires' call upheld the on-field decision. It was a fuller delivery that was pitched on leg stump and hit Chase on the front-leg.

Shimron Hetmyer (1), who has had a nightmare of a series, didn't last long as Kohli's plan to keep a fielder at cover paid off. Birthday boy Ishant bowled one at a drivable length and the uppishly played shot was gleefully pouched by Mayank Agarwal.

Brooks, who had looked pretty solid, could have also been on his way back had Jadeja not overstepped. It was a delivery that held its line as Brooks prodded in-front and the thickish outside edge was taken by Ajinkya Rahane at first slip.

Earlier, Hanuma Vihari continued his fine form and in vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane's company took India closer to a series sweep by sharing an unbeaten 111-run stand in the second innings of the second Test.

The visitors had set an improbable 468-run target before the West Indies on day three of the match on Sunday.

The in-form Rahane (64 not out) and Vihari (53 not out) got India's second innings back on track after the top-four were dismissed for 57 runs.

The fifth-wicket partnership between the duo allowed India to declare at 168 for four, giving Jasprit Bumrah and Co. 13 overs to have a crack on the struggling West Indies batsmen.

The West Indies were 45 for two at stumps on day three and with their batsmen showing very little application in the series, the hosts are unlikely to get anywhere close to the massive target.

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