West Indies reach 174 for 3 at tea; Ashwin dismisses fighting Brathwaite

Port of Spain, Jul 23 (PTI) Despite a resilient fifty by Kraigg Brathwaite, India kept chipping at West Indies batting to limit them to 174 for 3 at tea on the third day of the second Test here on Saturday.

Brathwaite (75 off 235 balls) offered stiff resistance, and he was also generously helped by a largely lifeless pitch.

Starting from their overnight 86 for 1, West Indies showed some solidity. Brathwaite and Kirk McKenzie added 46 runs for the second wicket as Windies went past 100 comfortably.

But debutant pacer Mukesh Kumar dismissed McKenzie for 32 to bag his maiden Test wicket before rain forced an early lunch.

In the middle session, Ashwin fetched the big wicket of Brathwaite with a lovely off-break that sneaked past his bat and pad, ending a 40-run third wicket stand between Windies captain and Jermaine Blackwood.

Brief score: West Indies (Ist Innings): 174 in 3 in 86 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 75, Kirk McKenzie 37; Mukesh Kumar 1/29, R Ashwin 1/57) Vs India: 438 all out.