Shubman Gill lost the toss for the sixth time in a row. But the Indian captain was happy to bowl as he expected the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium would aid the fast bowlers early on. Turns out, his assumption was right on the money.
With the surface having been trimmed ahead of the first day’s play, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj bowled the West Indies out inside two sessions for just 162, before K.L. Rahul’s unbeaten 114-ball-53 guided India to 121 for 2 at stumps.
Getting the ball to nip both ways, Siraj set the tone, picking up three of the first four wickets that fell. Bumrah took care of the tail to add to West Indies’ woes.
Coming into the game, the West Indies captain, Roston Chase, admitted that his team would start as an ‘underdog’ but ‘play fearlessly’. But what transpired on the opening day was a meek surrender. Despite opting to bat, things didn’t go as per the plan as none of the Windies’ top-order batters could show application and the resilience needed for Test cricket.
The touring side fielded two left-hand openers—John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul—while Alick Athanaze, another leftie, came one-down.
Siraj and Bumrah targeted their middle and leg stumps to induce a false shot once in every three deliveries. Siraj only made matters worse for the visitor with a few inswingers.
As it happened
Picking up from where he left off in the iconic final Test against England at The Oval a couple of months back, Siraj forced Chanderpaul, here after a long hiatus, to head back to the pavilion without opening his account.
Siraj’s wobble seam asked further questions of the batters, eventually claiming three wickets in six overs. First, he set up Brandon King with a ball that nipped back into the batter.
Bumrah, on Thursday, showed no signs of fatigue despite returning from a three-week-long Asia Cup sojourn.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI
Bumrah, on Thursday, showed no signs of fatigue despite returning from a three-week-long Asia Cup sojourn.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI
Meanwhile, Bumrah, at the other end, showed no signs of fatigue despite returning from a three-week-long Asia Cup sojourn. He made most of the conditions and ensured that the West Indies was in tatters, before captain Chase and Shai Hope got together.
However, India’s decision to field three spinners—Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar—meant things were never easy for the West Indies. Featuring in a Test match after almost a year, Kuldeep struck at the stroke of lunch, cleaning up Hope to reduce WI to 90 for 5. Kuldeep looped it outside off, and the batter mistimed an attempted cover drive.
READ: IND vs WI: The competitive series in England gave me a lot of confidence, says Siraj after four-fer against West Indies
As West Indies gasped for breath, Siraj tightened the noose further as he removed captain Chase. He, however, was unlucky to have missed out on what could have been a maiden five-fer at home; he had to remain content with figures of 4 for 40.
Justin Greaves made the most of a reprieve to put on a little fight en route to his 48-ball-32, but Bumrah’s yorker had the last laugh. With Bumrah and Siraj sharing seven wickets between them, it was just a matter of time before the West Indies folded. Kuldeep eventually provided the epilogue, having Jomel Warrican caught behind.
After a rain interruption, India openers Rahul and Yashavi Jaiswal looked at ease against a rather inexperienced bowling line-up.
Jaiswal looked in sublime touch as he hit a flurry of boundaries before throwing away his wicket. The youngster nicked a Jayden Seales delivery to wicketkeeper Hope and missed out on a golden opportunity to score big.
While Rahul took things in his stride and rode on his experience to go past his 20th Test fifty, B. Sai Sudharsan, coming in at No. 3, cut a sorry figure. Nervous during his 19-ball stay, Sai Sudharsan once again failed to solidify his claim for the slot as India looks to transition from the Virat Kohli-Cheteshwar Pujara era. He was trapped in front while attempting a pull shot.
However, Rahul and captain Gill ensured that there were no further dents. Featuring in his maiden Test at home as the captain, Gill looked steady as he partnered Rahul and ensured that his team was just 41 runs short of overhauling West Indies’ first innings total. With the conditions easing out on day two, which should largely be the best day for batting in this Test, one can expect the Indian middle order to drop anchor.
After a memorable outing against England, where the team came from behind to draw the series, there were apprehensions about how the young team would approach the home season, especially after it lost to New Zealand 0-3 last year. But with the bowlers rising to the occasion and the seasoned batters showing signs of steel, it was a great day in office.
Published on Oct 02, 2025
