 "Ravindra Jadeja, adjudged the Player of the Match for his all-round display, celebrates with India teammates after dismissing West Indies' Johann Layne. AP")
India proved too strong for West Indies in the first Test in Ahmedabad, bulldozing their way to an innings victory in two-and-a-half days to go 1-0 up in the two-match series and begin their 2025-26 home season on a dominant note. Ravindra Jadeja led the way with a haul of 4/54 in the second innings after scoring his sixth Test hundred as India bowled West Indies out a paltry 146 after collecting a massive 286-run first innings lead, winning by an innings and 140 runs in the process.
Windies barely produce a fight at Narendra Modi Stadium
India had earlier bowled the visitors out for 162 on the opening day after captain Roston Chase opted to bat, with Mohammed Siraj (4/40) and Jasprit Bumrah (3/42) sharing seven of the 10 West Indian wickets that fell during the course of the day.
The hosts would then end Day 1 on 121/2 before batting the entire second day out, reaching 448/5 with three different batters – KL Rahul (100), Dhruv Jurel (125) and Jadeja (104 not out) – scoring centuries and captain Shubman Gill chipping in with a knock of 50.
The Indians declared overnight, leaving West Indies with an uphill task of scoring close to 300 runs just to force their opponents to bat for a second time. Chase and Co, however, were reduced to 46/5 in the morning session, at which point an Indian victory was but a mere formality.
Here are reactions to India’s clinical victory from former cricketers and other experts as well as fans: