Jasprit Bumrah breaks yet another record as Indian pacers dominate West Indies on Day 1 in Ahmedabad

Jasprit Bumrah added another feather to his cap on Thursday after becoming the Indian bowler to 50 Test wickets on home soil in the first Test against West Indies in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The Indian pace spearhead returned figures of 3/42 while Mohammed Siraj was the pick of the bowlers with 4/40 as West Indies were bowled out for 162 after opting to bat on Day 1 of the series opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

The pace star removed West Indian opener John Campbell with the new ball and castled Justin Greaves and debutant Johann Layne with searing yorkers later in the day.

Bumrah surpasses Kapil, equals Srinath

Bumrah, in the process, completed 50 Test wickets on home soil, becoming the fastest Indian to the milestone in terms of deliveries and the joint-fastest in terms of innings. The 31-year-old took 1,747 deliveries to reach the milestone in his 24th innings – which puts him at level with pace icon Javagal Srinath. Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev needed 25 innings to reach the milestone, while Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami took 27 innings each.

Bumrah has collected 222 wickets so far in his Test career at a phenomenal average of 19.74, collecting 15 five-fors since he debuted in the format during the tour of South Africa in early 2018. And he remains the only bowler with 200 or more wickets with an average under 20 in the format.

West Indian batters struggle on Day 1 of India Test series

The West Indian batters, meanwhile, struggled to get going at the Narendra Modi Stadium after captain Roston Chase won the toss and opted to bat, with only three batters going past the 20-run mark. Justin Greaves top-scored for the visitors with a knock of 32 off 48 deliveries while Shai Hope and captain Roston Chase chipped in with 26 and 24 respectively.

None of the West Indian batters were able to stitch a 50-run partnership as the Indian bowlers kept chipping away at regular intervals, with spinners Kuldeep Yadav (2/25) and Washington Sundar (1/9) also among the wickets.

Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, on the other hand, added 68 runs for the first wicket, accelerating after a cautious start before the former departed for 36 after getting caught-behind off Jayden Seales’ bowling.

The match marks the beginning of India’s home season as well as Shubman Gill’s first Test on home soil since he was named India’s captain in the five-day format earlier this year, having led the team to a 2-2 draw in England earlier this summer.