Athanaze Shines Despite West Indies Struggle, India Dominates in Opening Test Match
The first test match between West Indies and India commenced with an unexpected turn of events. West Indies, having chosen to bat after winning the toss, opened the game confidently. Despite losing Tagenarine Chanderpaul for a paltry 12, the debutant Alick Athanaze of Dominica shone in his maiden appearance, top scoring with an assertive 47 off 99 balls.
The enthusiastic home crowd cheered as Athanaze struck the boundary six times and cleared it once. However, his efforts weren’t matched by the rest of his teammates. With Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Rahkeem Cornwall scoring 20 and 19 runs respectively, the West Indies team was dismissed for a meagre total of 150.
India, led by its seasoned bowler, claimed five West Indian wickets in 24.3 overs, accelerating the collapse of the home team’s batting order. Ravindra Jadeja also played a crucial role, taking three wickets, while Shardul Thakur and Mohd Siraj picked up one each.
In response, India began their innings strongly, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma showing no mercy on the West Indies bowling attack. By the end of the first day, India had piled up 80 runs without losing a wicket, trailing by 70 runs.
The second day of the match saw the Indian openers continuing to subdue the West Indies bowlers. By lunch, India had moved to a comfortable 146-0, trailing by just 4 runs. The day ended with India in total control, owing to an impressive opening partnership of 229 runs. Sharma hit a graceful 103, while Jaiswal remained unbeaten on 143.
Day three promises an exciting continuation, with India leading by 162 runs and Jaiswal and Virat Kohli at the crease. The West Indies team will be banking on a breakthrough, similar to Athanaze’s dismissal of Sharma, to stage a comeback. The match is set to resume at 10:00 am at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium.
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