India rout WI but worries remain
ONESIDED Spinners dominate as hosts crush clueless Windies by record innings and 272 runs in the first Test
RAJKOT: The real challenge for the Virat Kohli-led India, despite swatting aside the abysmal West Indies by a record margin in the first Test, is to guard against complacency that victories at home can engender.
India, that has lost six and won four of its 10 Tests this year, resembled a clinical unit at Rajkot on Saturday, like a world No 1 team is expected to. However, such traits were far from visible for the major part of the South Africa and England tours where India lost. With the Australia tour fast approaching, the team would be expected to stick to its new benchmark.
India’s victory over West Indies by an innings and 272 runs — their biggest margin of victory in Test cricket — bettered their innings and 262-run win over Afghanistan this year.
Opener Prithvi Shaw smashed a century on debut, Cheteshwar Pujara was among runs. Virat Kohli notched up his fourth hundred of 2018 to bring up 1,000 runs this year. Even Ravindra Jadeja got to the three-figure mark for the first time. Kohli and Shaw — who also took two sharp catches — entered the record books with their knocks. R Ashwin (4/37, 2/71) remained unplayable at home while Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav (5/57) recorded his maiden five-for.
There are more: India scored their first total in excess of 500 this year, their declaration at 649/9 was also their highest Test score against West Indies.
But this win neither hides nor solves the issue of India’s batting woes this year. They have accumulated seven scores of under 200, five scores less than 300, and four under 400, which includes one declaration.
The failure of India’s newest opening pair of KL Rahul (0) and Shaw meant the question remained unanswered, and Ajinkya Rahane’s lack of big scores continues as the team heads for the second Test.
Nevertheless, on Saturday, if it was Ashwin running riot in the hapless Caribbean camp in the morning session, it was Kuldeep in the afternoon who ran through the visitors. Kuldeep, playing only his fourth Test, bounced back after being battered on the third morning by Keemo Paul.
Playing only his second Test, Paul was audacious, hitting four fours and two sixes off the Chinaman bowler, falling three short of what would have been his maiden half-century. Roston Chase scored his first Test half-century showing resolve amid the rubble. Resuming with a deficit of 555 runs, West Indies folded for 181 in their first essay.
As the Indian bowlers were not made to toil for wickets and were still fresh — West Indies folded up 76 minutes into Day Three — and the hosts were still 468 runs ahead, Kohli decided to impose the follow-on.
As a pair, Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell had not even added as many runs together in Test cricket when they began West Indies’ second innings. Powell certified West Indies’ ‘attack is the best defence’ policy by racing to a 93-ball 83 studded with four sixes and eight fours, but the others fell to rash strokes, with the second-best score being 20 from Chase, who had scored a 79-ball 53 in the first innings.
The game ended a little over 30 minutes into the final session, with West Indies bowled out for 196. after their first innings’ 181.