Watch: An eventful maiden Test innings for Tagenarine Chanderpaul saw him get hit in the box, uppercut Pat Cummins for four, as well as hooking him for six – all in one session.
Kicking off the West Indies chase after Australia had declared on 598-4, the son of legendary batter Shivnarine Chanderpaul finally got the chance to show his worth with the bat, with 25 overs left to face at the end of day two.
Facing up to Josh Hazlewood having scored eight of 18 balls, Chanderpaul faced up to a length delivery and was hit in a delicate area, which had him audibly groaning in pain. The opening batter remained down on his haunches for some time before he could resume his innings, moving slightly less freely than he was before.
The pain didn’t seem to affect his scoring abilities, however. With No.1 ranked Test bowler Cummins steaming in and bowling a short-pitched delivery, Chanderpaul dispatched him to the boundary with an extravagant uppercut. The ball raced away behind square to bring up four runs.
Looking to take on the Australia captain, Chanderpaul continued attacking with a hook over third man for six. It was a short ball from Cummins which was angling down the leg side, and Chanderpaul walked across his stumps from his crab-like starting position – similar to that of his father – to deposit the ball into the stands.
In an impressive start to his Test career, Chanderpaul finished the day on 47 not out which ensured his side navigated their first session in response to Australia’s mammoth total without losing a wicket. They finished the day on 74-0, still 524 runs behind.
Watch: Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s eventful debut innings
Yeah. Ouch. #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/yOloVNm1qw
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 1, 2022
Chanderpaul taking on Cummins! #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/MMS31dMZjW
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 1, 2022
A chip off the ‘ol block! 💥
Tagenarine Chanderpaul looking every bit a Test player already! #PlayOfTheDay #AUSvWI | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/lcLmI5yD4M
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 1, 2022