The writing was clear on the wall at the end of the second day’s play. The lone talking point on Saturday morning was whether the West Indies batsmen had skills to lay anchor and stretch the match into the fourth day’s play.
But India’s spinners required only 20-odd minutes into the last session to earn the remaining 14 wickets and complete a rout in the first Test at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
Record win
Thanks to R. Ashwin’s four wickets in the first innings and Kuldeep Yadav’s five in the second after the West Indies was made to follow on, India cruised to a record win by an innings and 272 runs.
The West Indies did score at a run-rate of almost four an over but the fact that both its innings combined lasted less than 100 overs meant that the scoring rate had little impact on the eventual outcome of the match.
Starting the day at 94 for six in its first essay, with a humongous deficit of 555 runs, Roston Chase and Keemo Paul adopted the aggressive route against Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep. The latter was particularly punished as Paul and Chase kept sweeping his predictable length.
After adding 53 runs at almost run-a-ball in the morning, Paul succumbed to Umesh Yadav’s bouncer, with his pull finding a lunging Cheteshwar Pujara at mid-wicket.
Delightful spell
That was the only wicket of the day for a pacer, with the spinners taking over. Ashwin, having struggled to find his rhythm on the second evening, bowled a delightful spell, leaving the Windies tail with no answers at all.
When Rishabh Pant stumped Shannon Gabriel off Ashwin to wrap up the Windies first innings before lunch, the visiting team had conceded a lead of 468 runs and Virat Kohli had no hesitation in asking it to follow on. After all, having bowled less than 20 overs in the morning, his bowlers were far from being tired.
Ashwin — who shared the new ball with Shami — had given India the breakthrough before lunch, with stand-in captain Kraigg Brathwaite spooning a catch to Prithvi Shaw at forward short-leg.
For the next 11 overs, Kieran Powell and Shai Hope looked in little discomfort but once Kuldeep broke the 47-run stand — the highest of the innings for the West Indies — the floodgates opened. The left-arm wrist-spinner looked a different bowler, with the middle-order batsmen helping him with their ordinary shot selection.
Regular strikes
Powell found little support at the other end with Kuldeep striking regularly. It was Powell who eventually helped Kuldeep earn his maiden five-for, with the left-hander dabbing one to Shaw at silly point who took it in front of his face.
Ravindra Jadeja mopped up the tail by having Sherman Lewis leg before and Gabriel holing out in the deep to signal the victory.
While India will genuinely enjoy the additional two-days’ break, West Indies will have plenty to ponder if it has to be at least competitive in the concluding fixture in Hyderabad next week.
Scoreboard
India 1st innings 649-9 dec (P. Shaw 134, V. Kohli 139, R. Jadeja 100 not out; D. Bishoo 4-217)
West Indies 1st innings: K. Brathwaite b Shami 2; K. Powell lbw b Shami 1; S. Hope b Ashwin 10; S. Hetmyer run out (Jadeja) 10; S. Ambris c Rahane b Jadeja 12; R. Chase b Ashwin 53; S. Dowrich b K. Yadav 10; K. Paul c Pujara b U. Yadav 47; D. Bishoo not out 17; S. Lewis b Ashwin 0; S. Gabriel st Pant b Ashwin 1; Extras (b16, lb2) 18
Total (all out, 48 overs) 181
Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Brathwaite), 2-7 (Shami), 3-21 (Hope), 4-32 (Hetmyer), 5-49 (Ambris), 6-74 (Dowrich), 7-147 (Paul), 8-159 (Chase), 9-159 (Lewis), 10-181 (Gabriel)
Bowling: Shami 9-2-22-2, U. Yadav 11-3-20-1, Ashwin 11-2-37-4, Jadeja 7-1-22-1, U. Yadav 10-1-62-1
West Indies 2nd innings: K. Brathwaite c Shaw b Ashwin 10; K. Powell c Shaw b K. Yadav 83; S. Hope lbw b K. Yadav 17; S. Hetmyer c Rahul b K. Yadav 11; S. Ambris st Pant b K. Yadav 0; R. Chase c Ashwin b K. Yadav 20; S. Dowrich not out 16; K. Paul c U. Yadav b Jadeja 15; D. Bishoo c Pant b Ashwin 9; S. Lewis lbw b Jadeja 4; S. Gabriel c K. Yadav b Jadeja 4. Extras (b5, lb1, nb1) 7
Total (all out, 50.5 overs) 196
Fall of wickets: 1-32 (Brathwaite), 2-79 (Hope), 3-97 (Hetmyer), 4-97 (Ambris), 5-138 (Chase), 6-151 (Powell), 7-172 (Paul), 8-185 (Bishoo), 9-192 (Lewis), 10-196 (Gabriel)
Bowling: Shami 3-0-11-0 (nb1), Ashwin 18-2-71-2, U. Yadav 3-0-16-0, K. Yadav 14-2-57-5, Jadeja 12.5-1-35-3
Toss: India
Result: Indian won by an innings and 272 runs
Series: India lead the two-Test series 1-0
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG), Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV umpire: Bruce Oxenford (AUS)
Match Referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
