As Ajinkya Rahane chased his seventh Test hundred on day three of the second Test in Jamaica, there were questions asked about India’s intent about winning the game. Everyone but the team management had been aware of the rain forecast as tropical storm Earl built up in the Caribbean Sea.

After West Indies held on for a draw then, it was tough to find too much fault with the Indian bowlers as the Sabina Park pitch had flattened out. It was easier to praise Roston Chase’s hundred. And the hosts carried some momentum into this third Test, knocking India down to 130/5 on day one before bowling them out for 353. And then in reply, they finished at 107/1 on day two with the visitors wondering just what had gone awry. That is when the rain came again.

This latest weather interruption set up the debate once more. Here was a young Indian team that believes in playing with five bowlers at all times. Its captain is synonymous with aggression, perhaps more than any other current international cricketer. And with Sri Lanka spinning Australia out, India was was not far from attaining the No.1 spot, their one aim for this long 2016-17 Test season.

And yet, with three and a half Tests gone against a weakling West Indies side, the series score-line stood at 1-0. Just what were Kohli and his teammates doing?

Fourth gear when needed

With 196 overs to be bowled at the Darren Sammy Stadium then, Friday was about setting the record straight. Yes, West Indies have rallied around Chase’s hundred, and made a statement of improvement from Antigua to St Lucia.

But in this series, there is only one team that can bat resolutely, bowl to take 20 wickets and win at will. Until now, team India had done what was necessary to stay ahead, coasting in third gear, doing just enough to beat their opponents.

Day four, thus, was about showing that they could indeed change gears, and force the issue. It happened in two parts.

In the first part, with the ball, Kohli showed a heightened sense of awareness of the conditions and picked the right bowlers to attack with. This is a keen aspect of his captaincy. He likes to have five bowling options and use them in short spells, constantly changing the combination. Sometimes, as in the Jamaica Test, this can be counter-productive, because Test cricket is mostly about working out the batsmen.

Short spells might not provide that opportunity if the pitch eases out. Twice then, they made up for this mistake in the previous match and had a go at the West Indies batting. First, when Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami bowled to Darren Bravo. Ordinarily, Bhuvneshwar Kumar could have been the best bowler on a damp pitch early in the morning session. But given Bravo’s weakness against the short ball, the higher pace of Shami and Ishant was a better option. They attacked him with the short ball and inducing another blinded pull that dismissed him, albeit off a lucky no ball.

And second, as Kohli held Kumar back once again, using his two spinners in tandem before the lunch break. Thereafter, he unleashed the swing bowler with the second new ball, and kept him on for a continuous spell of 10.4 overs as West Indies collapsed from 194/3 to 225 all out.

Swing low sweet cherry

To say it was a magical spell of swing bowling would be too simple. To describe it as if Kumar had the ball dancing on a string would be modest. He had shown amply in England in 2014 that when conditions are just right, he is a master at his craft, especially with the red cherry in hand. And yet it wasn’t a complex spell, but one where the bowler just worked on his strength and his plan, plugging away at the batsmen and not allowing them enough room, or time, to cope.

This spell was about consistency, about bowling without a fine leg fielder in place and not erring in line or length. It was about bowling just wide outside off-stump to Jermaine Blackwood, and stitching that gap up further to Marlon Samuels, yet holding the same line throughout. It was about setting up the batsmen with outswingers, and then slipping in the inswinger at will.

This spell was about making a comeback to Test cricket. Kumar said after taking 5 for 33, “It’s been one and a half years since I last played this format. I was nervous when I was told that I would be playing this match, but I felt okay when I bowled the first ball. I haven’t done anything different in the last year or so, except work on my fitness since that is essential in Test cricket. I have tried bowled in the nets as if I am bowling in the match. I didn’t expect the five-wicket haul. You might not get wickets, but it is not acceptable to be unprepared.”

Those last words ring out true in light of what happened at Sabina Park. That the Indian think tank didn’t take thunderstorms into account whilst strategising was unacceptable. Yet, they seemed to have learnt their lesson when, in the second phase of executing their plan, they came out with the bat post tea and scored runs as quickly as possible.

KL Rahul provided a start like only an in-form batsman can, and then there were a couple of hiccups. But Rahane stopped the West Indies this time, a lot more intent on scoring runs, looking busy at the crease. His free-flowing 50, and an unbeaten 85 runs with Rohit Sharma, built on Kumar’s spell. It completed the circle from that slow first innings in Kingston, as today they were prepared.

On Saturday then, India intend to go for victory, if the rain can keep away, that is.