Rahkeem Cornwall was brought back into the Test squad with the hope of putting pressure on the Indian batters in the middle overs. However, due to a chest infection, the cricketer barely got a chance to show his skills.
Notably, he was off the field on Day 2 and Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal took a lot of advantage of the situation and made the most of the opportunity on offer. Rahkeem could have been the biggest threat to Indian batters on a slow turner in Dominica but unfortunately, his health and ICC laws kept him out for the majority of the match.
Interestingly, when the 30-year-old was ready to make his return, the umpires stopped him from bowling, as he hadn't spent enough time on the field to be allowed to operate from an end. The cricketer was handed a penalty of 120 minutes, in which he was restricted to bowl.
In his absence, 31 overs were bowled by part-time bowlers and thus, the home team never looked dangerous with the ball. Meanwhile, on his return to the crease, Cornwall made an instant impact by picking up the important wicket of Virat Kohli. Thus, his absence hurt the West Indies massively as the team suffered an embarrassing defeat by an innings and 141 runs.
Meanwhile, the laws of the game are once again held responsible. A bowler who suffers a finger injury on the field doesn't have to serve any kind of penalty but a batter who picks up a hamstring strain needs to serve.
This distinction has created a lot of controversies in recent times and the International Cricket Council needs to dive into it and find a solution.
Notably, on a spin-friendly surface, Cornwall’s absence bothered the home team as Indian batters hit 421 runs in their first innings. The visitors didn’t look challenged as players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma took a lot of time to get used to the pitch and went on to score pretty easily. Thus, the home team will now hope that Cornwall remains fit to challenge the Indians in the second and final Test of the series.
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