PHOTOS: Windies heading for another big defeat

Ravichandran Ashwin picked two early wickets as the West Indies struggled to 43 for 3 in 12.2 overs in their second innings, at stumps on Day 2 of the second Test, at the Wankhede stadium, on Friday.

- Scorecard

The West Indies still need 270 runs to avoid the humiliation of an innings defeat.

Kieran Powell, Tino Best and Darren Bravo were sent back to the pavilion, while Chris Gayle is still at the crease.

Earlier, India scored 131 runs in 29 overs in the post-lunch session, losing three wickets, but taking full control of the match in the process.

Just after lunch Windies spinner Shane Shillingford recorded a five-wicket haul when he had Bhuvaneshwa Kumar caught at leg slip by Darren Sammy.

Pragyan Ojha was the next to go, run-out for a duck.

Then No 11 batsman Mohd Shami came in and gave Rohit Sharma good support. Shami successful blocked everything that came his way and ensured he was there with Rohit at the crease as they stretched India’s lead.

Rohit got a reprieve on 85 when he was caught at the boundary off Shillingford, but the delivery was adjudged a no-ball.

Rohit completed his century (second successive one) in the next over by hoisting a Marlon Samuels delivery for six.

A few overs later Shami (11 off 29) was dismissed and India were all out for 495, taking a 313-run lead.

Shami and Rohit put on 80 runs in 17.4 overs for the last wicket. Rohit finished unbeaten on a splendid innings of 111 from 127 balls, laced with 11 fours and three sixes.

India lost four wickets in the second session and were 413 for seven in their first innings at tea.

Despite the fall of wickets, big contributions from Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli kept the team in control.

The batsmen rotated the strike and saw off the tepid spinners with ease. The Pujara-Kohli duo added 94 runs in less than 22 overs to maintain a run-rate of above 4.5. Kohli played effortlessly as he reached his 50 in only 53 balls.

However, he could score only seven off his next 24 deliveries before edging one Shillingford delivery to Sammy in the slips.

Pujara kept his composure as the atmosphere was very overwhelming and emotionally over-riding too. He nudged around and played some free-flowing drives and never really looked like any sort of trouble.

He completed his century with a single off Deonarine, as wife Puja applauded from the VIP stands.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (4) was dismissed cheaply as Best finally struck with the second new ball getting the Indian captain to edge one to the slip fielder.

Again it was Shillingford, who had the best figures of four for 142 in 34 overs.

Sachin Tendulkar mania was palpable at the Wankhede as crowds came in hordes to celebrate what could be the Master Blaster’s last Test innings.

Resuming on 157 for 2, Tendulkar and Cheteshwar Pujara gave India a steady start in the morning session.

However, Sachin fell short of a fairytale ton in his farewell Test. His 74-run knock included included a variety of shots that were textbook as well as innovative.

Before his dismissal, chants of 'Sachin, Sachin' reverberated around a stadium, packed to its 32,000 capacity, every time Tendulkar took his stance at the batting crease on the second morning session.

Resuming on 38 he looked in fine form when he played a straight drive off paceman Tino Best to bring up his 68th fifty on the anniversary of his debut Test against Pakistan in 1989.

He played most of his signature strokes during the 118-ball stay at the crease, which was studded with 12 crisp boundaries.

Even as Tendulkar and Pujara went about their job with ease, West Indies pacer Tino Best did give the Indian pair some uncomfortable moments.

Best tested them with his short deliveries.

Pujara tried to turn a short ball on the leg side but was struck on the handle, while the next one was left alone and he later clipped the next one to square leg for one.

The pacer then pitched it in short and down the leg side as Tendulkar opted to leave it alone before clipping the next behind square for two runs and give India the lead.

Best beat Tendulkar yet again as the master batsman tried to play the upper cut and missed.

His late cut off Shane Shillingford, a backfoot punch through the covers off Tino Best and the drive past Best that brought up his half-century were pure class.

It was Tendulkar's 68th Test half-century that came in 91 deliveries.

While Tendulkar got all the attention, Pujara played with a mature head and he quietly completed his half-century.

Pacer Shannon Gabriel came into the attack, replacing Best and Pujara turned the first ball on the leg side for two runs and then tapped the fourth to point to bring up his fifty, from 77 balls.

But Tendulkar's innings came to a premature halt when he was dismissed for 74.

The packed Wankhede stadium was jolted from euphoria to deathly silence within a second as West Indies captain Darren Sammy pouched a sharp slip catch off part-time spinner Narsingh Deonarine to bring an end to Tendulkar's first innings.

A sense of disappointment and disbelief hung in the air before the crowd came to terms with the magnitude of the moment to give their favourite sporting icon a prolonged standing ovation as he returned to the pavilion at his home stadium.

"Thank you for the memories Sachin. We will miss you," an emotional Sunil Gavaskar, former India captain and Tendulkar's childhood hero, said from the commentary box as the batsman marched towards the changing rooms for possibly the last time.