India crush Windies to win 1st Test by innings and 140 runs

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 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 pick of the bowlers with 4 for 54 in the second innings.

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 a 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 the West Indies for the hard grind 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 ran riot.