Hanuma Vihari, Rahane take India closer to series sweep
Kingston (Jamaica): Hanuma Vihari and Ajinkya Rahane took India closer to a series sweep with an unbeaten 111-run stand, helping the visitors set an improbable 468-run target for the West Indies on day three of the second Test here 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 allowed India to declare at 168 for four, giving their bowlers 13 overs to have a crack on the struggling West Indies batsmen.
The West Indies were 45 for two at stumps and with their batsmen showing very little application in the series, the hosts are unlikely to get anywhere close to the massive target. Interestingly, India had decided against enforcing the follow-on despite gaining a 299-run lead by bowling out the West Indies for 117 an hour into the morning session.
The Virat Kohli-led side struggled against top quality fast bowling from the West Indies and laboured to 73 for four in 37 overs at tea. However, the momentum was back with India in the final session where Rahane and Vihari extended their good run in the series.
Kemar Roach was all over the Indian top-order but the way Vihari played him was commendable. His 76-ball innings comprised eight fours including a delightful straight driver off Roach. Rahane too looked in control in his 109-ball effort that comprised eights fours a six. Both the batsmen were able to score freely but it was not case in the afternoon session when the batsmen were made to work hard for every run on a testing pitch. The West Indian pacers, led by Roach, made the ball talk.
After dismissing opener Mayank Agarwal (5) before lunch, Roach came out firing on all cylinders and removed K L Rahul (6 off 63) and India captain Virat Kohli (0 off 1) off successive balls to be on a hat-trick.
Both were identical deliveries, pitching just outside off-stump before moving slightly away to take the edge. While it was a rare duck for Kohli, Rahul never really got going before making his way back into the dressing room, leaving India at 36 for three.
Cheteswar Pujara (27 off 66) too found it tough in the middle before West Indies skipper Jason Holder got the better of him with a ball that rose sharply from back of a length, surprising the experienced Indian batsman who edged it to gully.
The dismissal marked the end of Pujara's tour in which he failed to cross the 30-run mark in four innings, a complete contrast to his series winning effort in Australia eight months ago. It was also a forgettable tour for Rahul whose highest score in four innings was 44. The West Indies, resuming the day at a dismal 87 for seven, batted for 14.1 overs before getting all out in the morning session.
Earlier, Roach (17 off 31) once again proved his worth with the bat when the specialist batsmen surrendered to a rampaging Jasprit Bumrah (6/26) who could not add to his overnight wicket tally after becoming the third Indian to take a Test hat-trick. Jahmar Hamilton (5 off 59) tested the patience of the Indian bowlers before Ishant Sharma got rid of him for his sole wicket of the innings.
The first to be dismissed on day three was Rahkeem Cornwall (14 off 31) who could not deal with a well directed bouncer from Mohammad Shami, spooning a simple catch to Rahane. The West Indies did well to last a little more than an hour in the morning session after showing no application with the bat on day two when Bumrah wreaked havoc.
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Investors become poorer by Rs 12 lakh cr in three days of market fall
New Delhi, Jan 10: Investors' wealth tumbled Rs 12 lakh crore in three days of market slump due to uninterrupted foreign fund outflows and concerns over quarterly earnings.
Also, rising crude oil prices and a strengthening dollar index added to investors' pessimism.
In three days, the BSE benchmark Sensex tanked 820.2 points or 1.04 per cent.
On Friday, the 30-share BSE benchmark declined 241.30 points or 0.31 per cent to settle at 77,378.91. During the day, the benchmark gyrated 820.15 points between the day's high of 77,919.70 and low of 77,099.55.
The NSE Nifty dropped 95 points or 0.40 per cent to 23,431.50.
The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms diminished by Rs 12,07,314.99 crore to Rs 4,29,67,835.05 crore (USD 5 trillion) in the three days.
From the 30-share blue-chip pack on Friday, IndusInd Bank, NTPC, UltraTech Cement, State Bank of India, Sun Pharma, Axis Bank, Tata Steel and Power Grid were among the major laggards.
Tata Consultancy Services jumped nearly 6 per cent after the IT services company reported an 11.95 per cent surge in the December quarter net profit to Rs 12,380 crore.
Devarsh Vakil, Head of Prime Research at HDFC Securities, said, "Strong quarterly earnings from TCS drove the IT index up 3.4 per cent, helping the market withstand a sharp sell-off."
However, despite broad gains across IT stocks, the Nifty fell for the third consecutive session, Vakil added.
Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Infosys and Bajaj Finserv were the other big gainers.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 7,170.87 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
"Domestic market sentiment remained subdued due to rising crude oil prices, driven by supply concerns, and a strengthening dollar index. Despite the IT sector's resilience following positive early Q3 results, broader indices bled due to uncertainties surrounding Trump policies and high valuations.
"Consolidation may persist in the near term, yet investors are closely watching the US non-farm payroll data today for further guidance," Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, said.
The BSE smallcap gauge dropped 2.40 per cent and midcap index declined 2.13 per cent.
Among BSE sectoral indices, power tanked 3.07 per cent, utilities (2.86 per cent), realty (2.64 per cent), industrials (2.08 per cent), commodities (2.05 per cent) and consumer durables (1.98 per cent).
BSE Focused IT jumped 3.17 per cent, IT (2.65 per cent) and teck (2.24 per cent) were the biggest gainers.
As many as 3,167 stocks declined while 827 advanced and 84 remained unchanged on the BSE.
"Markets continued its downward trajectory as the rupee dropping to new lows against the strengthening dollar has further dampened investors' sentiment. Amid concerns of subdued economic growth and expectations of a slowdown in the quarterly earnings, investors cut their bet on banking and mid & small cap stocks.
"With expensive valuations of Indian markets at large still a concern, investors would mostly resort to stock-specific activities," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research) at Mehta Equities Ltd, said.
