It’s not often that pacers take seven wickets on the opening day of a Test in India. Then again, it’s not often that a green carpet greets players in this part of the world.
Making the most of their rare good fortune, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah worked through a fragile West Indian batting line-up at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Day One of the two-Test series. Using the conditions to excellent effect and fusing it with their unquestioned skills, they returned combined figures of 7-82 on Thursday, sending the visitors packing for 162.
Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of Justin Greaves
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul got the hosts off to an excellent reply with a punchy 68-run opening stand. Jaiswal, who blossomed from four off 36 deliveries with a series of crunching boundaries, fell playing one stroke too many and Roston Chase, the West Indian captain, accounted for an edgy, unconvincing Sai Sudharsan. But Rahul and skipper Shubman Gill saw the team through to stumps, India finishing 41 behind on 121-2.
Poor run by West Indies
West Indies’s last Test innings was a miserable 27 all out against Australia in Kingston three months back, so this might appear a vast improvement. But despite the odds being stacked in favour of India’s experienced and highly capable faster bowlers, they didn’t help their cause with several adventurous strokes. In their desperation not to bat last on a track that will bring spin into play sooner rather than later, they chose not to give their bowlers first crack at the Indian top order, a decision also influenced by the unavailability of pacers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph. But their approach didn’t reflect their desire to put up a big first-innings tally, Siraj using the wobble seam to great effect and Bumrah cranking it up after a modest start to unleash searing yorkers in his five-over third spell.
Wickets tumble quickly
Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s dismissal in the fourth over, caught down leg off Siraj by the impressive Dhurv Jurel in the fourth over, was an indication of things to come. Wickets tumbled in rapid succession even though India weren’t on top of their bowling game and their fielding was lethargic. Chase and Shai Hope, their two most accomplished batters, did initiate a rescue act when Kuldeep Yadav, whose left-arm wrist-spin wasn’t summoned until the 22nd over, struck with his eighth delivery which snaked through the latter’s gate and disturbed timber.
Sundar breaks through
The middle order resisted to the extent it could through Justin Greaves and debutant Khary Pierre, who added 39 for the seventh. But once Washington Sundar broke through, Bumrah got down to business even as Siraj toiled without luck, his bid for a maiden five-wicket haul at home not bearing fruit.
India’s reply was untroubled, Jaiswal opening out after a long period of bedding in and Rahul playing comfortably. Unless they are better with the ball than
they were with the bat, Friday could be another long day for the Caribbeans.
44.1
No. of overs West Indies were bowled out in on Thursday, the fewest by a visiting team in the 1st innings of a day Test in India
Brief scores
WI 162 all out (J Greaves 32; M Siraj 4-40, J Bumrah 3-42) vs India 121-2 (KL Rahul 53*, Y Jaiswal 36; R Chase 1-16)