 "India's Ravindra Jadeja and Shubman Gill celebrate after bringing up their half-centuries on Day 2 of the first Test between India and West Indies in Ahmedabad. AP")
It’s been a one-sided contest so far at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, where India are playing the first of two Tests against West Indies at the start of their home season. Senior pacers Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah shared seven wickets among themselves to help bundle the visitors out for 162 after West Indian captain Roston Chase elected to bat.
Senior opener KL Rahul later brought up his first Test century on home soil in nearly nine years to lay the foundation for a massive first innings total for the Indians. And once Rahul departed shortly after lunch, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel and veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja forged a mammoth fifth-wicket partnership that took India past 400, taking their lead past 200.
Jadeja goes past MSD
Jadeja was batting on 80s when Jurel brought up his maiden Test century, having struck four sixes along the way. The spin-bowling all-rounder, in the process, went past former captain and legendary wicketkeeper MS Dhoni in terms of the number of sixes hit in the Test format.
Dhoni had struck 78 maximums in his 90 Test appearances, while Jadeja went past his tally with his fourth six – which came in the 93rd over in which the southpaw danced down the track and smashed Jomel Warrican over wide long on for a huge six.
Only three Indian batters – Virender Sehwag, Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma – have hit more sixes than Jadeja in the Test format. Former opener Sehwag and wicketkeeper-batter Pant have scored 90 each while former all-formats captain Rohit had struck 88 in 67 Tests.
Gill emulates Sunny G
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill brought up a milestone of his own after completing his half-century in his maiden Test on home soil as India captain. Gill, who had scored a staggering 754 runs in the five-match Test series in England earlier this summer, brought up his half-century in the 56th over of the innings as he added 98 for the third wicket with Rahul.
The 26-year-old thus became only the second Indian after batting legend Sunil Gavaskar to register a 50-plus score in his maiden home Test as captain. Gavaskar, who is on commentary duty for the ongoing Test, had scored 205 against West Indies at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium in 1978 in his maiden home Test as skipper.