Spinner Kuldeep Yadav starred in India’s biggest-ever Test triumph as they thrashed Windies by an innings and 272 runs inside three days in the opening match on Saturday.
The visitors were bowled out for 196 early in the final session while following on, to trail the two-match series 1-0. They were dismissed for 181 in their first innings in response to India’s 9-649 declared. Kuldeep returned figures of 5/57 with his left-arm wrist spin, his first five-for in his fourth Test since making his debut against Australia last year.
He led an inspired spin attack with Jade🅠ja ﷺclaiming three wickets and Ravichandran Ashwin taking two.
Opener Kieran Powell fought a lonely battle to score 83 runs before becoming Kuldeep’s fifth victim in another disappointing batting show by the Caribbean side.
Ashwin, who returned figures of 4-37 in West Indies’ first innings, sent back stand-in skipper Kraigg Brathwaite for 10 before lunch and then got Devendra Bishoo at the stroke of tea.
Kuldeep then rattled the opposition’s top and middle order including big wickets of Powell, Sunil Ambris for nought and Roston Chase, who had top-scored for Windies in the first innings with his gritty 53.
India’s batsmen ensured the world’s number one side dominated the match after centuries by debutant opener Prithvi Shaw, skipper Virat Kohli and Jadeja.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
That's a wrap! INDIA WIN the first Test. beat the Windies by an innings and 272 runs 👏👏🕺🕺
— BCCI (@BCCI)
Another commanding performance to achieve a huge win! Well done 𒀰. 👍
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt)
Wasn’t really a contest that one.💙 Easy win and India doin💮g what they do so well in these conditions. Good game for almost everyone.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif)
That’s too easy a wꦦin. Batting twice, WI couldn’t cross the follow- on score. Will remember this for Shaw and Pant’s fearlessness
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag)
Gee the Windies worked really hard to earn t✅hemselves a little over two days of rest from Test Cricket♒..didn’t they..??!!!
— Bishan Bedi (@BishanBedi)
Players with 5-wic🐬ket hauls in all the three International formats:
Umar Gul
Tim Southee
Ajantha Mendis
Lasith Malinga
Imran Tahir
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
KULDEEP YADAV— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats)
A comfortable win for India today. Congratulations .
And, this tour is definitely going to be a good leꦦarning experience for this young Windies side.— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh)
Lack of skills to handle foreign conditions and inexperience can b🎃e accepted, but sheer lack of effort and attitude to stay at the wicket and play more balls cannot be fo♋r , Iam sure coach and management would be gutted
— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath)
Utter Dominance in Rajkot !!! Congratulatiไons Guys on the 🍎amazing victory
— Manish Pandey (@im_manishpandey)
Kulꦛdeep Yadav recorded his first Test match five-wicket-haulꦐ. 🔥
In the second innings of the first Test against West Indies, th🌠e spinner notched figures of 5/57 to help his side to victory.
— ICC (@ICC)
India's biggest innings wins have come in their last two home Tests
— betvisa68.com (@CricketTimesHQ)
So 8 sessions is all it took. That’s as c♊linical as it gets. Really impressed with the all-round bowling effor𒁃t.
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281)
Congratulations to for their bigge꧃st ever Test win. Dominating performanc⛦e by the World No.1 side!
— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj)
This is India's biggest win in Test cricket!
Today: inns & 272 runs
Prev: inns & 262 runs vs 🧔Afghanistan @ Bangalore June 2018— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman)
What a wonderful start to your career, ! Man of the 𒅌Match on debut is stuff of dreams and for you being able🔥 to do that is just amazing.
— Surya Kumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar)
A new superstar of Team India : Prithvi Shaw
— betvisa68.com (@CricketTimesHQ)
Congratജs India🐻 on an emphatic victory. Special game for
— Dav Whatmore (@dfwhatmore)
West Indies have been reduced to an apology of a Test team – if being bowled out twice in just 3 sessions is bad, it's even worse to not to see them put up even some token resistance.
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73)
