Shamik Chakrabarty in Ahmedabad
Midway through the first session, the discussion in the press box was about whether this would be a three-day Test in Ahmedabad. West Indies were 42/4 in the 12th over after opting to bat first, and despite a 48-run fifth wicket partnership between Roston Chase and Shai Hope, they were never going to recover. The tourists were eventually all out for 162, and as things stand at the end of the first day’s play of the first Test here in Ahmedabad, the duration of the game will depend on how long India bat in their first innings. The hosts finished the day on 121 for 2, trailing by just 41.
A sparse turnout on Day 1 was always on the cards. Only the Test nerds cared to pay a visit. David, a red-ball aficionado from the south coast of England, was one of them. He even goes to the Ranji Trophy matches during his fairly frequent trips to India. Those who turned up on Vijayadashmi day, however, were entertained by some fine cricket from India.
Mohammed Siraj’s jaffa to Roston Chase was the highlight of the day. The fast bowler is revelling in his new leadership role and he returned with 4/40 from 14 overs, taking the wickets of Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, Brandon King and Chase. Jasprit Bumrah, after coming back from the Asia Cup in the Dubai heat, looked to be in fine rhythm. He accounted for the scalps of John Campbell, Justin Greaves and Johann Layne to finish with 3/42 from 14 overs.
The hard numbers make India’s pace duo the star performers of the day. No wonder that Neville Cardus called the scoreboard an ass. Those arid figures couldn’t capture Dhruv Jurel’s brilliance behind the stumps, which went beyond the four catches he took. It was a joy watching him ‘keep during West Indies’ first innings, when the ball was moving in the air and off the pitch.
The Chase catch was a case in point. The ball moved late to take the outside edge and Jurel was wrong-footed for a moment. The way he adjusted was a connoisseur’s delight.
Then, there was the grab off a faster delivery from Washington Sundar that missed the outside edge of Khary Pierre’s bat by a coat of varnish. Syed Kirmani, arguably India’s finest-ever wicketkeeper, would have nodded in approval if he were present. That Jurel is Rishabh Pant’s understudy shows the bench strength of Indian cricket. The 24-year-old from Uttar Pradesh would walk into a lot of other Test sides in the world. As for Pant, he is doing his rehab and is likely to return to the fold for the home series against South Africa.
In his first Test as captain in India, Shubman Gill rotated his bowlers well. When it felt like he would go back to Kuldeep Yadav, the skipper brought Washington into the attack and was rewarded with Pierre’s wicket. Also, Gill, along with head coach Gautam Gambhir, picked the right combination by including Nitish Kumar Reddy and Kuldeep in the playing XI. Kuldeep castled Hope at the stroke of lunch with his stock delivery. Jomel Warrican never had a chance against the left-arm wrist-spinner.
What about the tourists? It might sound preposterous after another batting failure, but West Indies tried their best. It wasn’t quite a green top when the match started, and they showed positive intent by electing to bat first. Also, their batsmen tried to make full use of the loose deliveries. As regards their bowling, without the Josephs – Alzarri and Shamar – they were always going to struggle against this Indian batting line-up. It’s the gulf in class between the two sides that is making the Test lopsided.
India lost two wickets. Jayden Seals dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal for 36. Sai Sudharsan at No. 3 misjudged the length of a Chase delivery to perish for seven. At stumps on Day 1, KL Rahul was batting on 53, with Gill giving him company on 18.
Brief scores: West Indies 162 all out (Justin Greaves 32, Shai Hope 26; Mohammed Siraj 4/40, Jasprit Bumrah 3/42) lead India 121 for 2 (KL Rahul 53*, Yashasvi Jaiswal 36) by 41 runs.
For more updates, follow RevSportz