India inched closer to victory as Ravichandran Aswhin produced an off-spin bowling masterclass to snare four wickets after lunch and leave West Indies reeling at 126 for seven in the first cricket Test here today. In the process, the prolific batsman also became the first Indian captain to score a Test double-century away from home.
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The standout performance came from Kraigg Brathwaite, who scored a determined 74 whilst his teammates were regularly dismissed. Ashwin obviously bowled very well, and Mishra also bowled very well but didn’t get (many) wickets.
Having made 113 with the bat in India’s 566 for eight declared, the off-spinner then tore into the Windies’ batting line-up in Antigua.
“But both kept the pressure on, and we talk about partnership bowling – that was a classic example, that the spinners didn’t have to bowl that much in the first innings, but took the responsibility from the fast bowlers in the second innings, and did the job fully”.
Meanwhile, renowned Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle said the massive defeat of the Caribbean side clearly depicts the decline of the West Indies cricket. “We need to challenge ourselves a little bit, which this team has been willing to do and which is a wonderful sign”.
“It has taken me five years to repeat (record) this feat (five wickets in an innings) outside the sub-continent, that is something I always wanted to break”.
West Indies’ skipper Jason Holder conceded that his side were always playing “catch-up” game throughout the first Test against India, which they surrendered meekly losing by an innings and 92 runs.
“I think it’s very special and for those of us here in Antigua and Barbuda (too), who appreciate seeing good knocks and seeing good batsmen perform”, he said.
“We had just a bad day”, he said.
Shami, who has been out of global cricket since injuring his knee in World Cup 2015, further said he is ready to take up any challenge thrown at him by skipper Virat Kohli. But, India could have had Samuels in the 25th over after a ball from Mohammed Shami found the inside edge of the right hander’s bat. “I don’t think we executed well enough”, Holder told the reporters in the post-match conference.
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West Indies will look to improve on their disappointing performance in the second test which starts July 30 in Jamaica. “The plan was to bowl at a consistent spot for long periods of time and that is why we were successful”, he said.
