India took complete control of the first test in Antigua after dismissing West Indies for 243 on Saturday. They forced the hosts to follow-on on the third day of the first Test, who ended the day’s play on 21/1.
Having started day three on 31/1 — 535 runs behind India’s massive 566/8 — West Indies’ first innings never gained any purposeful momentum. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
The stand out performance came from Kraigg Brathwaite, who scored a determined 74 whilst his team-mates kept falling around him.
Shane Dowrich (57) and captain Jason Holder (36), who added 69 runs for the eight wicket, couldn’t build on their starts lower down the order.
In their second innings, Brathwaite was unable to reproduce his first-innings form and fell for just two runs. Ishant Sharma took the wicket, trapping the West Indian leg before wicket.
The hosts now trail India by 302 runs with two days of play left.
Earlier, India’s pace attack played a key role in destroying West Indies’ first innings. Mohammed Shami blitzed through West Indies’ middle order, taking the wickets of Rajendra Chandrika, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels and Jermaine Blackwood. The fast bowler picked up figures of 4/66.
Fellow paceman Umesh Yadav was then able to tear through much of the rest of the batting line-up, taking the key wicket of Brathwaite and ending with figures of 4/41.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra also got in on the act, taking the last wicket of the innings and returned with figures of 2/43.
(With inputs from AP)
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