It took more than four sessions coming, but once R Ashwin found his rhythm he ran through the West Indian line-up to seal India’s first innings win in the Caribbean, and their biggest one outside Asia.
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But Kraigg Braithwaite (74) and incoming batsman Roston Chase (23) stayed on to add 47-run partnership for the sixth wicket before Umesh Yadav dismissed Chase followed by Kraigg in the 66th and 68th over to have West Indies struggling at 144/7.
Having dismissed Rajendra Chandrika on the second day, Shami, playing his first Test match since January previous year against Australia in Sydney, removed Darren Bravo just before lunch to a catch at the wicket.
Ashwin decimated the West Indies’ middle and lower order after lunch to boast figures of 7/83.
# Saha is the first Indian wicketkeeper to the associated in the dismissals of the top five batsmen in a Test innings. He frustrated the Indian bowlers for almost 70 minutes, and in this interim, saw off the likes of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Shami without much discomfort.
Yadav had taken Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite out in successive balls to seemingly end India’s frustrating experience with the tail.
After India captain Virat Kohli enforced the follow-on, the host was then 21-1 at stumps, trailing by 302 runs, and with two days left perhaps only rain can save them. West Indies couldn’t offer much resistance and folded in 78 overs, they only bettered that tally by 12.2 in the first innings.
Brief scores: India: 566/8d; West Indies: 243 and 76/2 (Marlon Samuels 39 not out; Ishant Sharma 1/17).
West Indies will look to improve on their disappointing performance in the second test which starts July 30 in Jamaica.
# Brathwaite is the second West Indian opener to post a fifty and capture three wickets in an innings in the same Test. Chris Gayle has accomplished the feat six times – three times vs Pakistan twice vs New Zealand and once vs England. Then it was up for the vice-captain Rahane to stand up to the situation but he failed to take the opportunity and fell early at 22 leaving India at 236-4. A ball later, Ashwin wrapped things up knocking off Shannon Gabriel’s off stump to hand India victory with one day to spare. Two overs later, the same aggressive fielding worked as Brathwaite was forced to fend off a short delivery instead of pulling it, and edged behind to keeper Wriddhiman Saha, who affected his fifth dismissal of the innings.
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Earlier in the match, Ashwin hit his third Test ton (113), with India piling up 566-8 declared, and Kohli making a double-century. Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami joined Ishant Sharma in the pace department, while R Ashwin and Amit Mishra are the spin options.
