The duration of the Indian first innings always determined how long the first Test would last. So, it was only a matter of how long the West Indies would hold out once captain Rohit Sharma decided, little over 40 minutes after lunch on the third day, that a lead of 271 was enough.
The West Indies were reduced to 58/5 inside 30 overs after the introduction of spin in the fifth over of the hosts’ second effort. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared the first four wickets, with the off-spinner taking two right-handers and the left-arm spinner taking two left-handers.
The Test won’t get a fourth day, the writing was on the wall when Ashwin caught the brilliant newcomer AlickAthanaze at short leg. An innings-long victory margin and 141 runs indicate a one-horse race.
When it was all said and done, Ashwin, who was left off the playing XI for the World Test Championship (WTC) final last month, had added 7/71 to his five in the first innings. The master off-spinner even stopped celebrating his wickets because it had become so commonplace for him.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, making her debut, easily outperformed the hosts’ totals of 150 and 130, demonstrating India’s dominance in Dominica.
Given their recent failures in white-ball formats, the West Indies are no longer among the top teams in international cricket. It was not just up to the players out in the middle during this Test series to restore some optimism to Caribbean cricket.
Kohli misses out on a ton
Virat Kohli, who began the third day on 36, may have been dismissed for 40 if Kraigg Brathwaite hadn’t managed to hold on to an extremely catchable uppish drive from Warrican at short cover. If wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva hadn’t managed to hold on to a legal outside edge when Kohli went for a wayward drive outside off-stump, he may have been out in the first over after lunch. He had 72 at the time.
Yashasvi Jaiswal received the Man of the Match award for his 171-run marathon. On July 20, the second test will start at the Queens Park oval.