India vs west indies 1st test winning by Innings and 92 Runs

 Umesh
Yadav provided India with the best possible start on Day 4 removing Darren
Bravo in the first over of the day of the 1st Test match at the Sir Vivian
Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua on Sunday and little would have anyone
expected that India would be at the brink of a big win before the second
session ended.

Even though Devendra Bishoo and Carlos Brathwaite's 95-run stand
for the ninth wicket took the game in to the last session of the day, Ravichandran
Ashwin's second-best career figures of 7 for 83 ensured India took a 1-0 lead
in the four-match series with an emphatic victory by an innings and 92 runs.



While fast bowlers triggered the down fall for
the hosts in the first innings, it was the Ashwin show in the second. The Tamil
Nadu offspinner went wicketless in his first outing, but in the second easy he
bowled like a man possessed, claiming five wickets in the second session to rip
through WI batting line-up. Drift was the key element in Ashwin's bowling that
had West Indies batsman all the sea. It
did help Ashwin that the end he was bowling from had a strong breeze in exactly
the same direction.

First to go was overnight batsman Rajendra Chandrika, who had battled hard for
his 31 off 108 balls. Chandrika went for a drive seeing air in the delivery but
the ball dipped just as Chandrika connected with his bat, Saha held on to the
inside edge in his third attempt. An over later, Jermaine Blackwood departed
for a pair. Another drifter from Ashwin induced the batsman to go on the
backfoot and his flick took a leading edge that was met by Indian captain Virat Kohli at short midwicket. He
had positioned himself at the catching position and got the reward.

West Indies were sinking, and sinking fast after Marlon
Samuels showed some intent and hit some marvelous
drives to in the first session. He had reached his 23rd Test fifty at the start
of the second session but was the third wicket to fall in the session. Ashwin
set up the Jamaican batsman with a series of off spin deliveries. Samuels,
anticipating turn came forward, but the tossed up ball kept its line and
crashed in to the off stump. Samuels walked backed for 50 off 85 balls.
Debutant Roston Chase too fell in to the trap of a dipping delivery and was
unable to read the length. He edged one to close-in fielder KL Rahul who took a
good low catch.

Amit
Mishra removed wicketkeeper batsman Shane Dowrich with a googly before Ashwin
completed his maiden five-for outside Asia. Windies skipper Jason Holder went
for an expansive drive leaving a huge gap between bat and pad and the
offspinner darted on to the batsman's leg stump. India seemed to let up and
that provided the opportunity for Bishoo and Brathwaite build a partnership.
The duo managed to play out a tough spell from Ashwin and Mishra and got the
runs capitalising on the loose balls. Brathwaite grew in confidence and started
to open up hitting two sixes and three fours en route to his third Test fifty
off 82 balls. Bishoo, who had shown resolve batting the first innings as
nightwatchman continued in the same vein and put many of his specialist batsmen
to shame compiling 45 runs off 88 balls before falling to Ashwin, whipping a
ball straight to midwicket. A ball later, Ashwin wrapped things up knocking off
Shannon Gabriel's off stump to hand India victory with one day to spare.

Brief Scores : India 566/8d (Kohli 200, Ashwin 113; K Braithwaite 3/65) beat
West Indies 243 (K Braithwaite 74; Umesh 4/41, Shami 4/66) & 231 (C
Brathwaite 51; Ashwin 7/83) by an innings and 92 runs