RAJKOT: India recorded their biggest Test win as they humiliated West Indies by an innings and 272 runs in the first match here Saturday, wrapping up one of the most ludicrous mismatches of recent times without breaking a sweat.
India dominated the game, amassing 649 for nine in their first innings before bowling out the West Indies twice on day three, to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. They were bundled out for 181 in 48 overs before lunch and were expectedly forced to follow-on.
They did not fare any better in the second innings, crumbling to 196 all out in 50.5 overs in the final session. Previously, the innings and 262-run win over Afghanistan in June this year was India’s best in terms of innings victory.
While Ravichandran Ashwin (4/37) was the pick of the bowlers in the morning, Kuldeep Yadav (5/57) was all over the opposition batsmen in the second innings on way to a maiden five-wicket haul in Tests. The feat makes Yadav the first player to have a five-wicket haul in all three formats of the game.
The second and final Test will be played in Hyderabad from October 12-16. The West Indies will have to lift themselves to put up a better performance after being thoroughly outplayed in Rajkot. The absence of captain Jason Holder and pacer Kemar Roach also added to their woes.
For India, the game will be best remembered for the emergence of Prithvi Shaw, who announced his arrival in international cricket with a classy hundred on debut, becoming the youngest from the country to do so in Tests. Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja were the other centurions.
By tea on Saturday, it became clear that the game will be done and dusted inside three days with the West Indies batsmen cutting a sorry picture at 185 for eight. Opener Kieran Powell was the only West Indian batsmen to make a significant contribution in the second essay, an entertaining 83 off 93 balls with eight boundaries and four sixes.
India skipper Virat Kohli said after the win: “We understand that with the ability we have, we will dominate in these conditions. We were very clinical. It’s not something for to speak on (West Indies’ performance). I’m sure they’ll sort out the errors. “We don’t want to focus on what the opposition does. I’m happy we were clinical.” Ashwin was their main tormentor in the morning and in the afternoon it was Kuldeep’s turn to dominate. The opposition batsmen, who needed to bat for time, seemed to be in a hurry to finish the game. Punishing a loose ball is fine but they went for far too many strokes and paid the price for their recklessness. Kuldeep thrived on that, mixing it up nicely to fox the batsmen. (PTI)
