Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja were among the wickets for India as the visitors pushed West Indies on the backfoot by reducing them to 68/4 in 28 overs at lunch on Day 1 of first Test at Windsor Park, here on Wednesday.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, West Indies openers captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul were solid against fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Jaydev Unadkat. With the ball not providing them much swing, Brathwaite and Chanderpaul were able to get through the first half-hour without any major discomfort.
But Ashwin’s early entry dramatically changed the course of the session. The ace off-spinner began by castling Chanderpaul with a skiddy delivery coming from wide of crease in the 13th over, making him the first Indian bowler and fifth overall to dismiss a father-son duo in Test cricket.
Ashwin bowled 10 overs on the trot for only 25 runs and managed to take out Brathwaite for 20. The West Indies skipper couldn’t resist himself from playing an ugly hoick across the line, with the leading edge being caught by cover.
Thakur struck in his first over to end Raymond Reifer’s painful stay at the crease for just two, with debutant wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan leaping to his left and diving forward to complete a lovely catch.
At the stroke of lunch, Jadeja entered the wicket-taker’s column when Jermaine Blackwood looked to launch a fuller delivery straight over bowler’s head, but he miscued the shot to mid-off, who ran backwards to complete the grab, as India finished the session on top despite losing the toss.
For West Indies, apart from the first 30 minutes, debutant and local lad Alick Athanaze’s solidity was a bright spot. The left-handed batter exhibited the temperament to stay at the crease for long, while playing a delightful flamingo-styled pull off Thakur and sweeping Jadeja with swiftness to pick two boundaries.
Brief Scores: West Indies 68/4 in 28 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 20; Ravichandran Ashwin 2/25) against India
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