India began their two-match Test series against West Indies on a strong note and completely dominated from all fronts during the first day of the opening match. After the visitors won the toss and decided to bat first in the overcast conditions at Ahmedabad, they started struggling from the get-go. Mohammed Siraj dismissed opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul for an 11-ball duck in the fourth over as the Men in Blue got off to a great start.
The likes of John Campbell, Alick Athanaze and Brandon King all got dismissed for cheap scores as the Windies got restricted to 42/4 at one stage. Skipper Roston Chase and Shai Hope did try to do some damage control and formed a decent stand of 48 runs before the latter lost his wicket to Kuldeep Yadav. Justin Greaves (32) was the lest West Indian batter that looked to pose a threat to the Indian bowlers as the lower-order completely crumbled.
Lower-order crumbles
The visitors lost their last four wickets in a space of just 18 runs as the pace duo of Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah totally dominated and took full advantage of the conditions. Siraj was the pick of the bowlers for the Men in Blue, recording figures of 4/40 while Bumrah also contributed well with his figures of 3/42. Kuldeep chipped in with two wickets and Nitish Kumar Reddy also picked up a scalp as the hosts capped off a brilliant bowling display and bundled out West Indies for just 162 runs during the second session of the day.
In reply, India made a great start to their innings thanks to the opening duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. The two formed a strong partnership of 68 runs and, scoring several boundaries. However, Jayden Seales managed to get the massive breakthrough and dismissed Jaiswal for 36 runs. Sai Sudharsan also failed to impress and got dismissed by Chase for just seven runs.
India ended the day on a high
But, these wickets didn't see Rahul stop and he eventually went on to reach his half-century with just a few overs left before the end of day's play. India went on to finish Day 1 on 121/2 with Rahul unbeaten on 53 and captain Shubman Gill batting on 18. The Men in Blue currently trail the visitors by just 41 runs and will be looking to post a massive first-inning total as the action resumes on Day 2.