Ahmedabad, India – India dominated the West Indies in the first Test of their two-match series, securing a comprehensive victory by an innings and 140 runs inside three days at the world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. Ravindra Jadeja's exceptional all-round performance was the highlight of the match, as he scored an unbeaten century and took four crucial wickets.
West Indies won the toss and elected to bat first, but their innings quickly unraveled against a disciplined Indian bowling attack. Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah exploited the early movement on offer, claiming four and three wickets respectively to bundle out the visitors for a mere 162. Only Justin Greaves (32) and Shai Hope (26) offered some resistance.
India responded with a dominant batting display, amassing 448 runs before declaring their innings on the third day. Opener KL Rahul struck a classy century, ending his nine-year century drought at home. Dhruv Jurel further solidified his position as a reliable wicketkeeper-batsman, scoring a stunning 125 for his maiden Test ton. Jadeja then took center stage, displaying his batting prowess with an unbeaten 104. Washington Sundar also contributed a valuable 91, narrowly missing out on his own century.
Jadeja and Jurel's marathon fifth-wicket stand of 206 was a key feature of India's innings. Jadeja, in particular, took on the West Indies spinners, hitting left-arm orthodox Jomel Warrican for five sixes.
Trailing by a massive 286 runs, the West Indies batsmen struggled even more in their second innings. Jadeja led the Indian spin attack, taking four wickets for 54 runs. Mohammed Siraj also continued his impressive form, bagging three wickets to finish with a match-haul of seven. Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with two wickets, as the West Indies innings folded for just 146 in 45.1 overs. Alick Athanaze (38) and Justin Greaves (25) were the only batsmen to offer any substantial resistance.
With this victory, India took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series and secured valuable points in the ICC World Test Championship. Jadeja was named the player of the match for his outstanding all-round performance.
The second and final Test match is scheduled to be held in New Delhi from October 10-14.
