West Indies won the toss and elected to bat first. However, they encountered a rocky start as India’s Ravichandran Ashwin made the most of the dry pitch, dismissing Tagenarine Chanderpau (12) and Kraigg Brathwaite (20) within the first session. Ashwin eventually took five wickets.

India’s bowlers continued to dominate, with Shardul Thakur claiming the wicket of Raymon Reifer for just 2 runs. Jermaine Blackwood was the last West Indies wicket to fall in the first session, caught by Mohammed Siraj off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja, who ended up taking three wickets to restrict the hosts to 150.

India’s opening batsmen, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, laid a solid foundation for a substantial score on the first day of the first Test match against West Indies at Windsor Park. At stumps, India reached a total of 80/0, with Rohit and Jaiswal remaining unbeaten on 30 and 40 respectively.

The Indian openers started cautiously, weathering a couple of early LBW appeals against Rohit. However, they encountered minimal difficulties during the third session. Jaiswal initially took his time to settle in, but once he acclimated to the pitch conditions, he displayed confidence in taking on the West Indies bowlers.

Jaiswal opened his account with an exquisite boundary, followed by an attempt for back-to-back fours that was thwarted by a vigilant fielder. Meanwhile, Rohit displayed a blend of well-judged shots and defensive play, maintaining his composure throughout the majority of the third session.

The West Indies bowlers struggled to find consistency in their line and length, evident when their appeal for an LBW against Rohit Sharma was denied after a review upheld the umpire’s decision.

Both batsmen will be eager to capitalize on their promising starts and convert them into substantial scores on Day 2 of the Test match.

The focus now shifts to Day 2, where India’s opening duo will be aiming to build on their solid start and set the stage for a commanding total. The West Indies bowlers will need to regroup and find greater consistency in their deliveries to break this resilient partnership.

Brief score: West Indies 150 (Alick Athanaze 47, Kraigg Brathwaite 20; Ravichandran Ashwin 5-60) vs India 80/0 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 40*, Rohit Sharma 30*). 

(With ANI inputs) 

Updated: 13 Jul 2023, 06:39 AM IST