By Tony Becca - From The Boundary 
DAY TWO of the first Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai ended with the scoreboard reading India 457, West Indies 33 for two and India still in command.
With three days to go at that stage, with the West Indies 424 behind and needing another 225 to save the follow-on, and with their batsmen up against two quality spinners on a pitch that promises to assist them, the odds are in India's favour - no question about that.
But for the loss of opening batsmen Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds, however, the day belonged to the West Indies, particularly to fast bowler Mervyn Dillon, and captain Carl Hooper must be wondering what might have been had the pacer been nearly as good on day one.
Unlike the first day when he bowled without any aggression, when he looked tired after two or three overs, and during which India eased to 278 for two, Dillon looked focussed - particularly at the start of the day's play.
In a lovely opening spell during which he conceded a mere seven runs off five testing overs and sent the brilliant Sachin Tendulkar packing, Dillon not only bowled a good line and length. He also bowled with fire, he inspired his colleagues, and that was the reason why India, bidding to consolidate and to bury the West Indies with a massive total, were never allowed to do so.
Dillon's brilliance was what limited India to 20 runs while losing two wickets in the first hour and why, despite Rahul Dravid's masterpiece before he was fored to retire after stroking his fourth consecutive century, India lost seven wickets for 179 runs.
Although it probably came too late to make a difference between winning and losing, Dillon was brilliant - so brilliant that Hooper must now be saying to himself, if only he could lift himself to that level more often, if only I could motivate him to that level of commitment more often.
Dillon was not the only West Indies bowler who looked twice as good on day two. So too did legspinner Mahendra Nagamootoo.
Unlike the first day when he bowled too negative, too fast and failed to spin the ball, on day two he was more aggressive. On day two Nagamootoo bowled slower, flighted the ball, got it to spin and looked like a Test bowler.
The odds are on India to win, but thanks mainly to Dillon on day two, it is not as much then as it was on day one.
It will not be easy against the likes of offspinner Harbhajan Singh and legspinner Anil Kumble, but if on day three Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Hooper and Ryan Hinds follow Dillon's example on day two and give it their best shot, the West Indies could end the day with a chance of saving the game.
