Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was in top form as India seized control of the first Test against the West Indies in Dominica on Wednesday. Ashwin took five wickets for 60 runs in 24.3 overs as the West Indies were bowled out for 150. India then reached 80 without loss at stumps, trailing by just 70 runs.
Ashwin’s performance was particularly impressive as he reached his 700th international wicket when he dismissed Alzarri Joseph. He is now only the third bowler in history to reach the milestone, after Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.
The West Indies’ batting was disappointing, with only debutant Alick Athanaze (47) making a significant contribution. The visitors showed excellent discipline in the field, taking all 10 wickets to fall. Looking ahead to day two, India fast bowler Ishant Sharma said that Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal would need to be patient in the first hour.
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“They will look to be guarded in their approach in the first hour,” said Ishant Sharma. “They will say to themselves that it’s ok even if we don’t score runs, because we already have a strong base. They will try to score the remaining 70 runs by taking their time because there’s still a lot of time in this game.”
Ishant Sharma also believes that the West Indies can still fight back if they are focused.
“For the West Indies, the first session will be crucial,” said Ishant Sharma. “Even if they are not able to get wickets in the first hour, they should try to stay in the game by curtailing the run rate. India are 80 without loss just now but the hosts will realize that if they give away only about 20 runs or so in the first hour, they could also be in a good position to take wickets after that. From there, they can bank on the pitch to help their spinners.”
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The match is evenly poised at the end of day one, with India in a good position to build a lead on day two. However, the West Indies will be hoping to take early wickets and put India under pressure.
