A little over one session’s time is all India took to wrap up the first Test, defeating the West Indies by an innings and 140 runs.
After it declared with an overnight lead of 286 runs, spinners Ravindra Jadeja (4 for 54) and Kuldeep Yadav (2 for 23) dismantled a listless West Indies batting unit and bundled it out for 146 on a warm and slightly humid Saturday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
While Jadeja and Kuldeep took charge, Mohammed Siraj, troubled the batters early on and claimed three wickets to extend his match tally to seven. And with the bowling line-up coming up with a disciplined show, true to its reputation, the West Indies batters lasted only 45.1 overs.
Before the spinners were unleashed, Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah bowled probing lines, and even though openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and John Campbell did manage to tackle a few seaming deliveries, a short one from Siraj removed the former.
Chanderpaul, who failed to open his account in the first innings, attempted a pull shot, only for Nitish Kumar Reddy at forward square leg to fly to his left and grab a catch.
With favourable conditions, a calm and composed Indian captain Shubman Gill brought in Jadeja in the seventh over. That eventually proved to be a game-changing decision as the seasoned campaigner provided breakthroughs.
Campbell, after surviving for nearly half an hour, flicked one into the hands of Sai Sudharsan at short leg. Brandon King, too, perished shortly after edging one that spun away from him. With K.L. Rahul grabbing a low catch, the West Indies was reeling at 34 for 3.
The touring side could never really recover as captain Roston Chase was bowled by Kuldeep, who tossed the ball up to the Caribbean skipper before claiming his wicket.
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As the Indian bowlers tightened the noose, making the most of the surface that offered a fair amount of turn, the West Indies needed one long partnership, which did not happen. Even though Alick Athanaze and Justin Greaves tried showing some resilience and guided the team to 66 for five at lunch, India’s decision to turn to Washington Sundar paid off. The off-spinner made the breakthrough when Athanaze looked to play against the turn and ended up offering a return catch.
West Indies had nothing to write home about as Siraj returned to trap Greaves leg before with a yorker. Thereafter, it was just a matter of time before India wrapped up a thumping win, capped off by Kuldeep, who caught and bowled Jayden Seales.
After scoring a gritty century on the second day, Jadeja’s four-fer earned him the the much-deserved Player of the Match award, as India’s home season got off to a winning start.
Published on Oct 04, 2025
