India seize control after West Indies fall for 162 on day one

If there was any anxiety about India’s performance this home season, the first day’s play went some way to allaying them. Weakened they might be with the retirements of three legends, wounded they might be after losing the last series here 0-3, there is still plenty of fire.

West Indies came under it and couldn’t really muster up a response. After choosing to bat, they were bowled out for 162 with time to spare for the tea break. At stumps, they were clinging on to a lead of 41.

Mohammed Siraj picked up where he left off after his Iron Man efforts in England. He focused on pitching the ball up. He targeted the top of the stumps.

He didn’t give the batter any easy reprieves and that was enough for him to pick up four of the first five wickets to fall.

He thought he had a fifth – which would’ve been a landmark moment because he doesn’t have a five-for at home – but DRS took it away.

Jasprit Bumrah, his new-ball partner, offered him a pat on the back when replays showed the lbw shout against Justin Greaves being struck down but didn’t seem to be so sympathetic when he started ripping out the tail with his yorkers. Eventually Siraj had to settle for figures of 4 for 40.

A comfortable day’s play offered opportunity for India to make further gains, particularly their new man at No. 3.

But Sai Sudharsan’s dismissal for 7 off 19 only served as a reminder that this team is still transitioning and that without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin, and Rishabh Pant, who is only injured, there are vulnerabilities. KL Rahul papered over them with a no-nonsense half-century.

It feels like he knows how to match his output with his ability now. Something West Indies are struggling with.

Their XI has nine centuries in it. Two of their top three have yet to contribute to that count. The other one has a double, but he was coming back to international cricket after a 20-month break.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul would be sorely disappointed with his return – out for a duck, caught down the leg side. But there were others who had reasons to feel more guilty. Brandon King left a straight ball to knock down his middle stump.

Alick Athanaze looked steady, especially after he got through a nervous first few deliveries where it seemed like he was too keen to feel bat on ball.

The West Indian No. 3 was just starting to gain confidence in his defence when Siraj decided to prey on his inexperience. He had seen the batter settling in nicely and decided to tease him with a fuller delivery.

Had the length been shorter, Athanaze might have been more circumspect with his shot. The fact that it was pitched up had his juices flowing. He went for a big booming drive and was caught at slip.

Roston Chase and Shai Hope offered some resistance. Theirs was the longest partnership of the innings – 70 balls – and it pushed India to produce the two best balls of the day.

Kuldeep Yadav, who had spent a five-match tour of England on the sidelines, struck with his eighth delivery back, creating gap between Hope’s bat and pad with his drift and surging through it with his dip and turn. It is ridiculous how often wristspinners make the stumps look like an easy target.

Chase was the victim of Siraj’s a wobble-seam variation, although the real genius of the wicket lay in the steep angle that the fast bowler created into the right-hander.

The West Indies captain was suckered into closing the face of his bat so early that he was caught by the wicketkeeper off the leading edge.

India’s bowling wasn’t at its threatening best – there were seven fours in the first 10 overs – but they were better at the basics than their opposition. Bumrah did have one bit of the spectacular in him. At the Asia Cup, he was partly bowling his team to victory and partly testing his fitness out for these Test matches.

Early indications were that his rhythm is on point. He spotted Greaves’ tendency to bat with a huge backlift, which also curved to the off side, and knew it would be vulnerable to his yorker and it proved so the very first time he tried.

Bumrah now has 50 Test wickets in India and he got there in record time, a full 521 balls quicker than the previous mark set by Mohammed Shami.  (ESPNcricinfo)