India were 121/2 at the end of Day 1 of the first Test of the two-match series in Ahmedabad. KL Rahul (53*) and Shubman Gill (18*) were at the crease, with India trailing by just 41 runs at stumps. Earlier, West Indies chose to bat but collapsed for 162 runs before the tea break. By the end of the day, India looked in control of the match.

Siraj Leads India’s Attack

Mohammed Siraj carried his fine form from England into this series. He kept the ball pitched up, attacked the stumps, and gave nothing away. His accuracy earned him four of the first five wickets. Siraj thought he had his first five-wicket haul at home, but the DRS overturned his lbw appeal against Justin Greaves. Jasprit Bumrah comforted him at that moment, but later took charge of the tail with lethal yorkers. Siraj finished with figures of 4 for 40.

Batting Shows Transition

India had a comfortable platform to push further, but their batting showed signs of change. Debutant Sai Sudharsan, batting at No. 3, fell for just 7 runs. His early dismissal highlighted India’s transition without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin, and the injured Rishabh Pant. However, KL Rahul steadied the innings with a composed half-century. His calculated batting showed maturity and control, a quality West Indies struggled to find.

West Indies Struggle

The West Indies line-up looked fragile despite featuring nine centuries among them. Two of their top three remain century-less, and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, returning after 20 months, disappointed with a duck. Brandon King made matters worse by leaving a straight ball that crashed into his stumps.

Alick Athanaze appeared more settled. After surviving a nervous start, he began defending confidently. But Siraj outsmarted him with a fuller ball, tempting him into a booming drive. Athanaze edged it to the slip cordon.

Hope and Chase Resist

Shai Hope and captain Roston Chase built the longest stand of the innings, facing 70 deliveries. Yet India’s bowlers broke through with skill. Kuldeep Yadav, returning after sitting out the England tour, struck with his eighth ball. His drift and turn split Hope’s defence and hit the stumps. Soon after, Siraj dismissed Chase with a clever wobble-seam ball, using steep angle to force an edge to the wicketkeeper.

Bumrah Reaches Milestone

Although India’s bowlers conceded seven boundaries in the first 10 overs, they stayed more disciplined than West Indies. Bumrah added a touch of brilliance with his yorker against Greaves. He had noticed the batter’s exaggerated backlift and exploited it immediately. That dismissal helped Bumrah reach 50 Test wickets in India faster than anyone before him — 521 balls quicker than Mohammed Shami’s record.

Brief Scorecard