West Indies are ALL OUT for 149. At first glance, India has started well, Ravichandran Ashwin has picked up a fifer and the Men in Blue are well on course for a big win. However, a closer look would once again show warning signs for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid. On a spin-friendly track for the IND vs WI 1st Test, the team management grossly misread the conditions again. Axar Patel was ignored for a third seamer in Jaydev Unadkat.
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West Indies committed harakiri on Wednesday as they were cleaned up for a paltry 150 on Day 1 of the India vs West Indies Test. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up his 33rd five-wicket haul, while Ravindra Jadeja struck thrice as well. Of the 64.3 overs India sent down, Ashwin-Jadeja combined for 38.3 of those. Thakur and Unadkat bowled 7 overs each, with little impact on the day. Ashwin extracted more than 7 degree turn post lunch, while Axar Patel warmed the bench.
Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid once again failed to get a good read of the conditions. The pitch before the play itself looked dry, but India still went with three seamers for the 1st test. Maybe the rain in the previous few days played a part. However, when Ashwin was introduced after 8 overs, you knew that pace would play little to no impact.
It is only the 6th Test at Windsor Park. At this venue, four of the top 5 wicket takers are spinners, and India opted to go for an extra seamer over Axar Patel. This is despite the left-arm spinner having a near-spotless record with 50 wickets in 12 Tests.
Before the India vs West Indies series, India made a similar mistake in the World Test Championship final. Rohit-Dravid went ahead with a 4-pronged pace attack after winning the toss in overcast conditions. However, as the conditions eased and the pitch deteriorated, Ashwin’s absence in the game was felt. The result was one to forget: India lost by 207 runs. Ashwin, who did not make the XI, picked up 5/60 in his first game back.
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