Suresh Raina jubilates with Praveen Kumar, at Sabina Park, on Tuesday

Kingston: Debutant Praveen Kumar’s three-wicket haul gave India the upper hand by reducing West Indies to 119 for five in their first innings at lunch on the second day of the first Test here on Tuesday.

India bowled out West Indies for a paltry 173 on the second day of the first Test on Tuesday. The visitors, thereby, take a vital 73-run lead. Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma grabbed three wickets each

India can now hope for a first-innings lead despite their modest total of 246 after Praveen accounted for the crucial wickets of Adrian Barath (64), Darren Bravo (18) and Brendan Nash (1).

The hosts still trail India by 127 runs in the first innings. Ishant Sharma scalped the other two wickets.

Resuming at their overnight score of 34 for one, West Indies lost Ramnaresh Sarwan (3), lbw to Ishant. But then Barath and Bravo combined for a 55-run third-wicket stand.

Barath completed the second half-century of his career as he meticulously picked up loose balls to score.

Bravo, on the other hand, played the anchor role and the duo saw off the bowling pair of Ishant and Harbhajan Singh, who bowled almost the entire stretch of the opening hour.

Barath thrust Praveen off his pads to the mid-wicket fence and then hit leg-spinner Amit Mishra for a four and a six down the ground of his first two deliveries of the day.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni then decided to switch Praveen to the other end and the move paid dividends for the visitors.

There was no inkling of it when Barath off-drove Praveen to the cover fence but the little opener edged a catch to Dhoni off the very next ball.

Barath made 64 from 122 balls and hit nine fours and a six during his stay at the crease. Praveen built on this success with another wicket in his next over when Bravo nicked a straight delivery to Dhoni behind the stumps.

Praveen then bowled a maiden to Brendan Nash but dismissed the left-hander in his next over when he induced a leading edge which was well-accepted by Suresh Raina at third slip.

On Monday, Dhoni’s decision to bat first at a two-paced Sabina Park pitch misfired as India suffered a top-order collapse before Raina (82) and Harbhajan (70) joined hands to resurrect the innings with a belligerent 146-run seventh wicket stand.

Raina and Harbhajan took the task to opposition during their 168-ball partnership to rescue India’s sinking ship after they were reduced to 85 for six at one stage.

The glorious seventh-wicket stand between the duo was the only silver lining in India’s innings as the visitors lost their last four wickets for mere 15 runs.

For West Indies, pace duo of Fidel Edwards (4 for 56) and Ravi Rampaul (3 for 59) shared seven wickets between them but it was young leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo (3 for 75), who caught the imagination with his three-wicket haul and two outstanding catches.

Sent into bowl, Rampaul gave a dream start to the home team removing both the Indian openers.