Ashwin knocks wind out of Windies

Roseau (Dominica), July 15

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin finished with a 12-wicket match haul as India handed West Indies a crushing innings and 141-run defeat inside three days of the first Test at Windsor Park here on Friday.

Ashwin had claimed 5/60 to help skittle out West Indies for 150 in the first innings on a slow, turning track in the first match of the two-Test series.

India amassed 421/5 in reply before declaring their first innings with debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal (171), skipper Rohit Sharma (103) and Virat Kohli (76) scoring bulk of their runs. Having conceded a lead of 271, West Indies did even worse in their second innings when they were bundled out for 130.

Ashwin was the wrecker-in-chief again, claiming 7/71 even though teammate Jaiswal was adjudged the Player of the Match.

“Our bowling was superb. Bowling them out for 150 actually set the game for us,” Sharma said after their victory. “On that pitch, we knew we wanted to bat once, bat long.”

The comprehensive defeat deepens the sense of gloom in the West Indies camp, who are smarting from their failure, for the first time, to qualify for this year’s ODI World Cup in India.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s was the first wicket to fall, succumbing lbw to Ravindra Jadeja with the score on eight before Ashwin got his first victim of the second innings 14 runs later when home captain Kraigg Brathwaite was caught by Ajinkya Rahane.

Ashwin then ripped through West Indies, with Alick Athanaze top scoring for the home side with 28 runs before becoming one of the off-spinner’s seven victims.

Jomel Warrican’s wicket was the last to fall when he was trapped lbw as Ashwin wrapped up a comfortable victory with two days to spare.

Between them, India’s spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja claimed 17 of the 20 West Indies wickets in the match.

The teams will meet again in the second and final Test in the series in Port of Spain from July 20. — Reuters

Mhambrey in awe of Ashwin & Jaiswal

Roseau: India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey rated Ravichandran Ashwin as one of the greatest match-winners of the country and was also in awe of young Yashasvi Jaiswal’s maturity in his brilliant Test debut. Ashwin, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, recorded his best overseas Test figures of 12 for 131 (5/60 and 7/71) to decimate a hapless West Indies. “The way Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja bowled is praiseworthy. We in the dressing room know the value of a bowler’s performance. According to me, Ashwin is one of the greatest match-winners of our country. He has won a lot of matches for us and has been a consistent performer,” Mhambrey said. If Ashwin starred in the bowling department, it was young left-handed opener Jaiswal who took the limelight among the batters with a mature 171 on his Test debut. “The way he batted was fabulous and especially for a debutant to come and score a century and that too on not on an easy wicket. It was a slow wicket, got slower as the game progressed,” he said. PTI

Scoreboard

West indies 1st innings 150

india 1st innings

Y Jaiswal c Da Silva b Joseph 171

R Sharma c Da Silva b Athanaze 103

S Gill c Athanaze b Warrican 6

V Kohli c Athanaze b Cornwall 76

A Rahane c Blackwood b Roach 3

R Jadeja not out 37

I Kishan not out 1

Extras: (b 8, lb 11, w 5) 24

Total: (5 wickets, 152.2 overs) 421d

FOW: 1-229, 2-240, 3-350, 4-356, 5-405

Bowling O M R W

Kemar Roach 24 6 50 1

Alzarri Joseph 18.2 2 80 1

Rahkeem Cornwall 16 5 32 1

Jomel Warrican 45 4 106 1

Jason Holder 18 5 40 0

Kraigg Brathwaite 9 0 21 0

Alick Athanaze 16 2 53 1

Raymon Reifer 4 0 16 0

Jermaine Blackwood 2 0 4 0

West Indies 2nd innings

K Brathwaite c Rahane b Ashwin 7

T Chanderpaul lbw b Jadeja 7

R Reifer lbw b Jadeja 11

J Blackwood lbw b Ashwin 5

A Athanaze c Jaiswal b Ashwin 28

J Da Silva lbw b Siraj 13

J Holder not out 20

A Joseph c Gill b Ashwin 13

R Cornwall c Gill b Ashwin 4

K Roach b Ashwin 0

J Warrican lbw b Ashwin 18

Extras: (b 2, lb 2) 4

Total: (All out, 50.3 overs) 130

FOW: 1-8, 2-22, 3-32, 4-32, 5-58, 6-78, 7-100, 8-108, 9-108, 10-130

Bowling O M R W

Mohammed Siraj 6 1 16 1

Jaydev Unadkat 2 1 1 0

Ravichandran Ashwin 21.3 7 71 7

Ravindra Jadeja 21 5 38 2

Player of the Match: Y Jaiswal