KL Rahul scored a patient half-century, talking 101 deliveries to get to the milestone as India ended the opening day at 121/2, trail West Indies by 41 runs. At stumps, Rahul was unbeaten on 53 in the company of captain Shubman Gill (18*).Shubman Gill lost the toss vs West Indies for the sixth time in a row. But the Indian captain was happy to bowl as he expected the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium would aid the fast bowlers early on. Turns out, his assumption was right on the money.
With the surface having been trimmed ahead of the first day’s play, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj bowled the West Indies out inside two sessions for just 162, before K.L. Rahul’s unbeaten 114-ball-53 guided India to 121 for two at Stumps.
West Indies dismal show in Test cricket continues on Day 1 vs India as they are bundled out for 162 inside 2 sessions
Getting the ball to nip both ways, Siraj set the tone, picking up three of the first four wickets that fell. Bumrah took care of the tail to add to West Indies’ woes.
Heading into the game, the West Indies captain, Roston Chase, admitted that his team would start as an ‘underdog’ but ‘play fearlessly’. But what transpired on the opening day was a meek surrender. After opting to bat, things didn’t go as per the plan as none of the Windies’ top-order batters could show application and the resilience needed for Test cricket.
The touring side fielded two left-hand openers—John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul—while Alick Athanaze, another leftie, came one-down. Siraj and Bumrah targeted the middle and leg stumps to induce a false shot once in every three deliveries against the southpaws. Siraj only made matters worse for the visitor with a few inswingers.
Picking up from where he left off in the iconic final Test against England at The Oval a couple of months back, Siraj forced Chanderpaul, here after a long hiatus, to head back to the pavilion without opening his account. Siraj’s wobble seam asked further questions of the batters, eventually claiming three wickets in six overs. First, he set up Brandon King with a ball that nipped back into the batter.
Meanwhile, Bumrah, at the other end, showed no signs of fatigue despite returning from a three-week-long Asia Cup sojourn. He made most of the conditions and ensured that the West Indies was in tatters, before captain Chase and Shai Hope got together.
However, India’s decision to field three spinners—Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar—meant things were never easy for the West Indies. Featuring in a Test match after almost a year, Kuldeep struck at the stroke of lunch, cleaning up Hope to reduce WI to 90 for five. Kuldeep looped it outside off, and the batter mistimed an attempted cover drive.
As West Indies gasped for breath, Siraj tightened the noose further as he removed captain Chase. He, however, was unlucky to have missed out on what could have been a maiden five-fer at home; he had to remain content with figures of 4 for 40.
Justin Greaves made the most of a reprieve to put on a little fight en route to his 48-ball 32, but Bumrah’s yorker had the last laugh. With Bumrah and Siraj sharing seven wickets between them, it was just a matter of time before the West Indies folded. Kuldeep eventually provided the epilogue, having Jomel Warrican caught behind. After a rain interruption, India openers Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal looked at ease against a rather inexperienced bowling line-up.
Jaiswal looked in sublime touch as he hit a flurry of boundaries before throwing away his wicket. The youngster nicked a Jayden Seales delivery to wicketkeeper Hope and missed out on a golden opportunity to score big.
While Rahul took things in his stride and rode on his experience to go past his 20th Test fifty, B. Sai Sudharsan, coming in at No. 3, cut a sorry figure. Nervous during his 19-ball stay, Sai Sudharsan once again failed to solidify his claim for the slot as India looks to transition from the Virat Kohli-Cheteshwar Pujara era. He was trapped in front while attempting a pull shot.
However, Rahul and captain Gill ensured that there were no further dents. Featuring in his maiden Test at home as the captain, Gill looked steady as he partnered Rahul and ensured that his team was just 41 runs short of overhauling West Indies’ first innings total. With the conditions expected to ease out on day two, one can expect the Indian middle order to drop anchor.
Though India asserted the expected dominance over West Indies , the dismal state of West Indies in Test cricket only grew worse and Former Indian player now commentator Aakash Chopra has slammed West Indies for showing no intention while batting on Day 1 vs India in the first innings.
Aakash Chopra slams West Indies for their dismal approach in Test cricket after their poor batting performance on Day 1 vs India
Former India batter Aakash Chopra questioned the West Indies’ contribution to Test cricket after their shambolic performance on Day 1 of the first Test against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, October 2. The Roston Chase-led side were bundled out for a meagre 162 after opting to bat first, lasting just two sessions.
The Men in Maroon could not handle a full-fledged Indian bowling line-up, and lost four wickets in the opening hour itself. Justin Greaves was the sole batter to cross the 30-run mark as India dominantly kick-started their home season.
The West Indies did not make an impact with the ball as well. The Indian opening pair of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal negotiated the new ball with relative ease as the visitors sorely felt the absence of the injured Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph. At Stumps on Day 1, India are well-placed at 121-2, trailing only by 41 runs in the first innings. Aakash Chopra felt that the West Indies lacks prowess, especially in the batting department, where the dismal numbers spoke for themselves.
“If you see the top six batters of this West Indies team, everyone’s average is in the 20s. Chanderpaul has an average of barely over 30, just 31.11. So, just one batter has an average of over 30, and even that is not like 35 or something, and the rest are like 25-odd.
If you are a member of the team with this average, that too after playing a significant amount of Test cricket, then it is clear that there is no prowess. They are playing Test cricket, but are they good enough for Tests?” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“In my opinion, it is sub-standard batting. If their numbers don’t improve, then one question that will be asked for sure is – Are the West Indies really adding to Test cricket? I might be a bit harsh, but if you are asking someone to take their time out and watch the game for five days, it has to be justified, right? The West Indies team’s decline is palpable,” the former India player added.
The former cricketer feels that the only way to end the barrage of disparity and one-sided matches is to introduce a tier system in the World Test Championship (WTC).
“Now, should there be a tier system in Test cricket? This series acts as fuel to the fire in this conversation. The point of WTC was to bring excitement in the longest format, with teams battling it out for points, it feels nice to hear it. There is importance because teams want points, but where will you bring the contest from? You have not lost a single Test to them in the last 20-22 years, so what contest?” Chopra said.
Some prominent members in world cricket, like Cricket Australia (CA), are open to a tier system, but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on the other hand, have vehemently opposed it in the recent past. A common element among entities that have opposed the notion of a tier system is the belief that weaker sides will only improve by playing against the bigger nations on a regular basis, and also the fact that the minnows are capable of causing upsets given enough opportunities.
While Aakash Chopra acknowledged the occurrence of upsets, he debated the frequency of them compared to the one-sided matches that are killing the format.
“The West Indies is not a team that is pushing. Once in a while, it so happens that they win in Multan or Gabba, but those are just one-offs, the world is not going to change because of it. So, in my opinion, there should be a tier system, make two tiers of six teams each, with promotion and relegation,” Chopra said.
The sea of empty stands at the Narendra Modi Stadium reflected the quality of the contest on show. The former player explained how complacency among Ahmedabad residents is given that the venue will inevitably be awarded bigger matches in the future, has played a role in the sad sight.
“There should not be injustice to the fans. Think about them as well. It is already difficult to follow Test cricket, and if there are one-sided matches on top of that, then where is the fun? Why will people follow?
I won’t hold you accountable if you don’t follow this match, the match is going on in Ahmedabad, and no one has come to watch it. It was a holiday, so fill the stadium, but there was absolutely no one. It was empty, it was an eyesore. Ahmedabad should not host Tests, go to smaller venues,” the former batter elaborated.
Since 2021, the venue has hosted three Tests, with the first two coming in the same home series against England, while the most recent one was the 2023 Border-Gavaskar series finale between India and Australia.
After a memorable outing against England, where the team came from behind to draw the series, there were apprehensions about how the young team would approach the home season, especially after it lost to New Zealand 0-3 last year. But with the bowlers rising to the occasion and the seasoned batters showing signs of steel, it was a great day in office.
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