WEST INDIES TOUR OF INDIA, 2025
West Indies were bowled out for just 162 on the opening day. © AFP
Mohammed Siraj missed out on his maiden Test match five-fer at home but continued from where he left off in England as his 4 for 40 – his best figures in India – helped bundle West Indies out for 162 on the opening day of the series in Ahmedabad. Then KL Rahul also extended his fine run of form by getting to a solid half-century as India cut the deficit down to 41 in a dominant opening-day performance from the hosts to start the season.
West Indies have had starting troubles in Tests, as their openers haven’t stitched 50 runs together in 12 innings. Roston Chase hoped his batters would handle the first couple of hours on a green-tinged surface that had spent time under the covers with some rain in the build-up, but Tagenarine Chanderpaul and John Campbell exited in the first half hour. Chanderpaul gifted his wicket to Mohammed Siraj, nicking one to Dhruv Jurel down the leg side. Bumrah then dragged Campbell into a drive and had him caught behind with a ball that swung in 1.5 degrees and seamed away 1.2 degrees. It still needed India to use a review.
West Indies looked for defiance and a fight from Alick Athanaze and Brandon King, but Siraj packed them both off in the space of 10 deliveries. On a morning where both the quicks were getting the ball to nip both ways and repeatedly induced false shots, Siraj set King up. He bowled a couple of nipbackers that King defended cautiously before driving a straighter one on the fourth stump line to cover. Siraj bowled the next in the same line, but King expecting it to shape away shouldered arms. The ball however, nipped back to hit the stumps.
For the left-handed Athanaze, Siraj changed angles from round the stumps and had him caught by KL Rahul at second slip. So early in the game, West Indies were already looking at their most experienced batting pair – Roston Chase and Shai Hope, for rescue work.
They combined well in the second hour of the morning session and looked set to take West Indies to Lunch without further damage, only for Kuldeep Yadav to sully those plans with a ripper. A tossed up ball drifted, turned and lured Hope into a drive while it sneaked through to hit the stumps. That dismissal triggered lunch, a break that West Indies would’ve welcomed given the bruising start they endured to slip to 90 for 5
The tune did not change when play resumed though even as West Indies went past 100. Siraj squared up Chase with a splendid delivery, the ball going to Jurel off the outside edge. Debutant Kharry Pierre hung around for a short alliance with Justin Greaves, before India’s sixth bowler Washington Sundar trapped him leg before. West Indies went from 144/7 to 153/9 through two unplayable yorkers from Bumrah that floored the stumps. He then went on to bowl outside the off-stump to make room for a possible fifer for Siraj, but that was not to be. Kuldeep wrapped up the innings with the wicket of Jomel Warrican.
India’s openers, Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, batted sedately in the final session, going at just two runs an over before a spell of rain forced the players off. When they returned, the tempo of the innings changed with Jaiswal slamming seven boundaries in quick time. A search for the eighth brought about his downfall as he edged Jayden Seales to Hope behind the stumps after a 68-run opening wicket stand.
India also lost Sai Sudharsan for 7 when he rocked back onto the backfoot and missed a skidder from Roston Chase. But, Shubman Gill walked in to see through the remainder of the day’s play out while Rahul serenely worked himself towards his 19th Test match half-century.
Brief Scores: India 121/2 (KL Rahul 53*, Yashasvi Jaiswal 36; Jayden Seales 1-21) trail West Indies 162 (Justin Greaves 32; Mohammed Siraj 4-40, Jasprit Bumrah 3-42, Kuldeep Yadav 2-25) by 41 runs.
© Cricbuzz
