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 in🌌spired spin attack with Jadeja claim🅷ing 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 p🧸erformance to achieve a huge win! Well done . 👍
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt)
Wasn’t really a contest that one. Easy win and India doing what they do so well i🥂n these conditions. Good game for almost e🍸veryone.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif)
That’s too easy a win. Batting twice, WI couldn’t cross the follow- on score. Will rememb🐭er this for Shaw and Pant’s fearlessness
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag)
Gee the Windies worked really hard to earn themselves a little over two days of rest from Test Cric🦹ket🍸..didn’t they..??!!!
— Bishan Bedi (@BishanBedi)
Players with 5-wicket hauls in all the th💫ree Intern𒈔ational 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 goodও learning experience for this young𝐆 Windies side.— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh)
Lack of skills to handle foreign conditions and inexperience can be accepted, but sheer lack of effort and attitude to stay at the wicket and play more balls cannot be for , Iam sure coach and management would be 𒐪gutted
— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath)
Utter Dominanceও in Rajkot !!! Congratulations Guys on the amazing victory
— Manish Pandey (@im_manishpandey)
Kuldeep Yadav recorded his first Test match five-wicke𝔍t-haul๊. 🔥
In the second innings of the first Test again🌼st West Indies, the 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 clini♒cal as it gets. Really impre✱ssed with the all-round bowling effort.
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281)
Congratulation🧜s to for their biggest ever Test win. Dominating performance 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 @ Bangalor⛎e June 2018— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman)
What a wonderful start to your car⛎eer, ! Man of the Match 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)
Conꦫgrats India on a𝔉n 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)
