Caribbean Recap 2019: The tour that made Virat Kohli India’s most successful Test captain | Cricket News – Times of India

With 289 runs, including a century and 2 half-centuries, India’s Hanuma Vihari was the leading run-getter across both teams in the series in 2019.
India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah took 13 wickets in the series that included 2 five-wicket hauls to emerge as the leading wicket-taker.
TimesofIndia.com here takes a look at the big highlights from the 2019 series:
1st Test: Ajinkya Rahane‘s commanding second innings hundred

A century in the second innings has traditionally been rated higher than one in the first because the pitch is not fresh for batting, nor are the players. A second innings hundred also often proves to be more decisive in the context of the match.
India were bowled out for 297 runs in their first innings in the 1st Test in Antigua and then they in turn bowled out the Windies for 222. India were 81/3 in the second innings when Rahane walked in to join his captain, Virat Kohli at the crease.
Rahane added 106 runs with Kohli for the fourth wicket. Kohli fell for 51 but Rahane went on to score his tenth Test hundred – also his first in two years. Though Rahane took 235 balls to get to the three-figure mark, his 135-run stand with Hanuma Vihari for the fifth wicket put India in a commanding position.
India went on to win the Test by 318 runs and Rahane was adjudged the Man of the Match for his second innings hundred and a 81-run knock in the first innings.
1st Test: Jasprit Bumrah’s incredible figures of 5/7 in 8 overs

By declaring their second innings at 343/7, India set the Windies a victory-target of 419 runs in the first Test at Antigua.
Bowling the second over with the new red cherry, Bumrah moved the ball both ways to simply run through the Windies batting line-up. Bumrah completed his five-wicket haul off just 7.2 overs and gave away just 7 runs. 4 of the 8 overs that Bumrah bowled in the West Indies second innings were maidens.
Bumrah’s incredible bowling figures of 8-4-7-5 are in fact still the most economical five-wicket haul by an India bowler in Test cricket history. Three out of the five Windies batsmen that Bumrah dismissed were clean bowled.
India reduced the Windies to 50/9 but a 50-run stand between Kemar Roach and Miguel Cummins took their total to exactly 100 and India won the Test by 318 runs.
2nd Test: Hanuma Vihari’s batting heroics

Hanuma Vihari might not make regular headlines, but his hard-earned batting exploits in Australia gave him more than a few chances in the Indian middle order.
Vihari lived up to expectations in the second Test at Sabina Park in Kingston with a dogged maiden Test hundred off 200 balls in the first innings in the company of Ishant Sharma (57) to power India to 416 in their first innings.
The match was evenly poised with India at 164/4 when Vihari arrived at the crease and his 111-run knock took India to safer waters.
India went on to win the Test by 257 runs and Vihari was adjudged the Man of the Match for also scoring an unbeaten 53 in the second innings.
2nd Test: Jasprit Bumrah’s hat-trick

Jasprit Bumrah was truly impressive as a Test bowler in the Caribbean. After his incredible bowling figures of 5/7 in the first Test, Bumrah went one better and registered a hat-trick.
In the West Indies first innings, Bumrah first had Darren Bravo caught by KL Rahul at second slip, he then trapped Shamarh Brooks plumb in front. Brooks went for a review but the replays showed he was LBW.
Next ball, Roston Chase was hit above the toe in front of middle stump by a full inswinger from Bumrah. The umpire turned down the LBW appeal, but captain Virat Kohli went for the review and the replays showed the ball hitting the leg stump.
Playing just his 12th Test, Bumrah became the third Indian to get a hat-trick in Test cricket (after Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan).
Bumrah finished with 6/27 as the Windies were skittled out for 117. India went on to win the Test by 257 runs and the series 2-0.