PUNE, India, CMC:
WEST INDIES pacer Cameron Cuffy grabbed four wickets but Yere Goud struck a century as the three-day game between the West Indies and India's Ranji Trophy champions, Railways, ended in a high-scoring draw at the Nehru Stadium yesterday.
Responding to the West Indies' first innings score of 449 for eight declared, Railways posted 402 all out after Goud stroked 106, and Cuffy made a claim to be included in the third Test team by capturing four for 84 off 27 overs.
The West Indies, in their second innings, were 35 without loss at the close - 82 runs ahead - with Wavell Hinds not out on 23 and Chris Gayle on nine.
Goud, who belted 12 boundaries, held the Indian innings together with the only significant score in the Railways' middle and lower order as the West Indies gave an improved bowling performance.
Cuffy, dropped for the second Test after looking jaded and ineffective in the West Indies innings defeat in the first Test in Mumbai, bowled a high quality morning spell that reduced the India national champions from their overnight score of 179 for one, to 225 for four.
He breached Murali Kartik's defence with his second ball of the morning, knocking back the opening batsman's off-stump before he had added to his overnight 72, and dislodged Tejinder Singh (21) and Jacob Martin (five).
Singh was trapped leg before wicket at 205 for three, and Martin gave Wavell Hinds a comfortable catch at cover 20 runs later.
The big Vincentian sent back Raja Ali (16) for his fourth wicket and the spinners did the rest.
While Goud, batting at number four, played a solid innings to steer Railways to 370 for seven at tea and to the 400-mark, no other batsman crossed 20.
He was ninth out, caught behind by Ridley Jacobs off legspinner Mahendra Nagamootoo, who bowled Kulamani Parida two runs later to end the innings, 47 runs short of the West Indies total.
After dropping Kartik three times on Friday, the touring team put down two more chances yesterday including a straightforward chance by Sharma to Nagamootoo at cover off spinner Gareth Breese.
"The catching and fielding at this level is below what needs to be and if we don't improve, we will continue to struggle," team manager Ricky Skerritt said.
SCOREBOARD
West Indies first innings 449-8 dec.
Railways first innings
(Resumed at 179-1)
M. Kartik b Cuffy 72
T. Singh lbw Cuffy 21
Y.Goud c Jacobs b Nagamootoo 106
J.Martin c W. Hinds b Cuffy 5
A. Sharma c Ganga b Breese 13
R. Ali lbw Cuffy 16
J. Yadav lbw Sarwan 15
H. Singh c Samuels b Breese 17
Z. Hussain not out 8
K. Parida b Nagamootoo 2
Extras (b3, lb19, w2, nb1) 25
TOTAL (all out) 402
Fall: 1-167, 2-180, 3-205, 4-225, 5-280, 6-320, 7-345, 8-378, 9-400.
Bowling: Cuffy 27-4-84-4; Powell 18-1-85-0 (1w); Nagamootoo 20.2-1-76-2; Breese 31-3-102-2; Gayle 4-0-15-0; R. Hinds 4-1-3-1 (1nb); W. Hinds 3-2-6-0; Sarwan 3-0-9-1.
West Indies second innings
C. Gayle not out 9
W. Hinds not out 23
Extras (lb1, nb2) 3
TOTAL (without loss) 35
Bowling: Harvinder Singh 2-0-13-0; Zakir Khan 2-1-8-0; Yadav 2-0-4-0 (2nb); Parida 1-0-9-0.
