The West Indies selection panel on Wednesday included Sunil Ambris in place of Smith, who had scored two fifties in the nine innings that he played on his comeback for the Sri Lanka Tests following a gap of three years.
India 'A' extended their domination of the hosts to the Tests after they opted to bat
'I just think that was their strategy, to really go hard with the young guy because that is his natural game, and make it easier for the other guys coming in after him. We tried to contain the batsmen. We set more defensive fields and tried to put more pressure back on them after they got the quick start and it paid off for us. But then, we had a few lapses in the field and that really cost it'
Temperamentally poles apart, a cavalier Pant and a composed Ajinkya Rahane eventually wrested the initiative back with a burgeoning 146-run partnership to guide India to 308-4 at stumps.
Senior off-spinner Ashwin and speedster Mohammed Shami didn't bowl in the first innings but might bowl in the second.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between India and the West Indies.
Cheteshwar Pujara warmed up in style for the upcoming two-Test series against West Indies with a fluent century in the warm-up match against West Indies Cricket Board President XI.
Bangladesh thrashed Australia by 60 runs in Dhaka on Monday to secure a comprehensive 4-1 series win, with the tourists' batsmen managing just 62 in 13.4 overs, their worst ever total in the format.
The West Indies A top-order put up a gutsy show to force a draw despite another five-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem as India A won the unofficial three-'Test' series 2-0.
Denied adequate preparation time in India, the West Indies would look to utilise all their resources when they take on Board President's XI
Veteran pacer Zaheer Khan's sensational three-wicket burst helped India 'A' crush West Indies 'A' by an innings and 54 runs in the third and final unofficial Test to level the three-match series, in Hubli.
India finished the second day on 308 for four in 81 overs. They trail West Indies by just three runs, after the visitors were bowled out for 311 earlier in the day.
Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal hit half-centuries to help India post 264 for five, on Day 1 of the second Test against West Indies.
Every person was tested 72 hours before they travelled in order to ensure that all members of the party were travelling virus free.
Led by the in-form Cheteshwar Pujara, India 'A' will eye revenge for the ODI series loss when they take on a confident West Indies 'A' in the unofficial three-Test series, starting at the Gangotri Glades, in Mysore, on Wednesday.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2nd Test between West Indies and India in Kingston, Jamaica, on Sunday
The West Indies bowling could have been taken to the cleaners, but the skipper hit only 10 fours in his knock -- significantly less than Shaw's 19 boundaries and Pujara's 14 hits.
India have endured series losses in South Africa and England over the last nine months but have still managed to remain the number one side in the longest format.
On a day of fluctuating fortunes, West Indies 'A' batted brilliantly in the first two sessions and the India 'A' bowlers fought back strongly in the last session, to share the honours at the end of Day 1 in the third unofficial 'Test' at KSCA stadium in Hubli on Wednesday.
Hetmyer smacked three sixes and eight fours in his entertaining knock, helping his side chase down a modest target of 128.
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