Mohammed Siraj once again proved why he is India’s go-to man with the new ball as he produced an absolute peach to dismiss Brandon King early on Day 1 of the first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday (September 2). The fiery pacer set the tone for India with a magical inswinger that left the visitors reeling in the morning session.
Brandon King, who looked comfortable in his short stay with three crisp boundaries in his 13 off 15 deliveries, was undone by Siraj’s brilliance. Having already hinted at the movement with two sharp inswingers in his previous deliveries, Siraj executed the perfect trap. King, misjudging the line, decided to shoulder arms to what he thought would pass harmlessly outside off. Instead, the ball darted back in and sneaked through the narrowest of gaps between bat and pad, rattling the middle stump and sending it cartwheeling.
Siraj celebrated in trademark style with his Ronaldo-inspired leap, while King could only walk back in disbelief, shaking his head at the costly misjudgment. For the West Indies, it was another reminder of King’s recurring weakness against quality pace—five of his seven Test dismissals so far have come either bowled or trapped in front by seamers.
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Siraj, riding on momentum, struck again soon after. This time, it was Alick Athanaze who became the victim of his clever change in angle. Switching to around the wicket, Siraj invited Athanaze into a drive with a fuller delivery outside off. The left-hander, tempted by the width, threw his hands at it but failed to control the stroke. The ball took the outside edge and flew to second slip, where KL Rahul pouched a sharp low catch to end Athanaze’s stay for 12.
— crictalk (@crictalk7) October 2, 2025
By then, India were firmly in command. Siraj had three wickets to his name, including Athanaze and King, while Jasprit Bumrah had earlier removed John Campbell for just 8. The scoreboard told a sorry tale for the West Indies—four wickets down for only 42 runs, with India dominating every passage of play in the opening session.
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The Caribbean side’s struggles in Indian conditions are nothing new. Their openers have now gone 12 consecutive innings without a fifty-run stand in Tests in India. Even more glaring, West Indies haven’t beaten India in the longest format since May 2002—a 23-year drought stretching over 25 matches.
Meanwhile, India’s new captain Shubman Gill has had a peculiar streak of bad luck. The young skipper has now lost all six tosses in his first six Tests as leader, a record only matched by Tom Latham and bettered by New Zealand’s Bevan Congdon, who lost seven in a row.
