AHMEDABAD: Vice-captain Ravindra Jadeja, India’s most valuable player in red-ball cricket, displayed his all-round credentials, capping his unbeaten hundred with a four-wicket haul as the hosts crushed West Indies by an innings and 140 runs inside three days in the first Test to take a 1-0 lead.
Trailing by a massive 286 runs after India declared on their overnight score of 448 for 5, West Indies performed even worse in their second essay, being bowled out for 146 in 45.1 overs. Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 54 in the second innings.
The second Test will be played in New Delhi from October 10-14.
"Honestly, I think this was the perfect game for us. Three centuries, and we fielded really well so no complaints," skipper Shubman Gill said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
With the outcome of the match and the series tilted heavily in favour of the formidable hosts, India outclassed the struggling West Indies in all facets on a track that behaved differently on all three days.
If it was a lively track assisting pacers on Day One, exploited to the tilt by Mohammed Siraj (4/40 and 3/31) and Jasprit Bumrah (3/42), the pitch offered little to bowlers on Day Two as batters made merry.
By the end of it, India, who had amassed a lead big enough to impose an innings defeat on the troubled visitors, ensured there was no change to the script for the huge win in the first of their four home Tests this season.
Opener KL Rahul (100) ended his nine-year-long century drought at home, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel (125) notched his maiden Test ton and Jadeja (104 not out) stretched his purple patch with the bat as India flexed batting muscle, condemning West Indies to the hard grind of trying to take wickets.
On Day Three, hoping to extract some assistance early in the morning, India declared at their overnight total but it was the Jadeja-led Indian spinners who exploited the grip off the surface and rough patches to run riot.
While Nitish Reddy’s athleticism handed Siraj the first wicket among pacers, it was Jadeja (4/54) who followed up his unbeaten ton with a three-wicket burst to initiate a swift end to West Indies’ plight, reducing them to 66/5 at lunch.
In fact, Jadeja, with his century and a four-for in the second innings, narrowly missed the feat of hitting a ton and taking a five-for in a Test, which he has done twice in the past.
Siraj then produced a two-wicket over post-lunch, dismissing Justin Greaves (25) and Jomel Warrican (0), shortly after Washington Sundar (1/18) caught-and-bowled the last of the recognised batters, Alick Athanaze, who batted well for his 38.
Kuldeep Yadav (2/23) took a sharp return catch off Jayden Seales (22), who had struck some meaty blows, to bring an end to the game shortly after drinks in the second session.
Jadeja was menacing on a track offering turn as he ran through the West Indies top-order. While the left-arm spinner wreaked havoc in that frail batting order which fell like a pack of cards once again, Kuldeep Yadav (1/15) and Siraj (1/16) also had their share of contributions.
It all began with India’s declaration, which expedited the inevitability as only one result was possible given the state of the West Indies team. And it did not take long for the floodgates to open.
Openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul (8) and John Campbell began on a positive note but it was the brilliance of Nitish Reddy at square leg which produced the first breakthrough in the eighth over.
Chanderpaul, who pulled a short ball from Siraj, was left in disbelief when Reddy flung himself to his left, parallel to the ground, and took the catch before landing back with the ball lodged firmly in his hands.
It did not take long for India to introduce spin and vice-captain Jadeja was overjoyed when Campbell (14) lobbed one straight to short leg in a meek display of batting from a Test opener.
Jadeja had his second when West Indies No. 4 Brandon King (5) hung his bat out to poke at one spinning away from him, to be caught at first slip by KL Rahul, who took a good, low catch.
West Indies captain Roston Chase (1) was no match for Kuldeep’s brilliance, who tested him with an array of variations before bamboozling him with one that was shorter in length, straightened, and knocked down his off-stump.
It did not take long for the fifth wicket to fall when the most dependable of the West Indies batters, Shai Hope, pushing himself at No. 6, cut one outside off from Jadeja but Yashasvi Jaiswal was simply brilliant at short third man to quickly move to his right and take a diving catch to extend West Indies’ plight.