(Reuters) -India seamers Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah ripped through the West Indies line-up to claim seven wickets between them and dismiss the tourists for 162 before the hosts reached 121-2 on day one of the first test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Opener KL Rahul (53) and captain Shubman Gill (18) were at the crease when stumps were drawn at the Narendra Modi Stadium, with India trailing by 41 runs following a brief interruption due to fading light and rain.
Yashasvi Jaiswal had looked to make up for his sedate start by smashing seven fours after that 22-minute delay but the left-hander fell for 36 by edging Jayden Seales behind the wicket while Sai Sudharsan perished tamely for seven.
A bout of cramp in his left hamstring notwithstanding, Rahul helped India remain in control by reaching his 20th half-century in front of a sparse crowd, helping lay the platform for a big first-innings score.
Roston Chase (24), Shai Hope (26) and Justin Greaves (32) all got starts earlier, but the hosts gained the upper hand to put a dent in the West Indies’ hopes of claiming a first test win in India since 1994, when the series was drawn 1-1.
ROCKED EARLY
The West Indies were rocked by India’s pace bowlers early on after Chase won the toss and opted to bat first, with Tagenarine Chanderpaul gloving one from Siraj (4-40) to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel and falling for an 11-ball duck on his test return.
John Campbell was then caught behind off Bumrah (3-42) for eight following a review by India, joining his opening partner in the dressing room and leaving West Indies in big trouble at 20-2 on a moisture-heavy pitch that assisted the bowlers.
After a good start to his innings, Brandon King (13) paid a heavy price for a poor leave when Siraj got a ball to come back in and crash into the wickets, before Alick Athanaze (12) edged the paceman to Rahul at second slip.
Kuldeep Yadav (2-25) marked his selection as India’s third spin bowler alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar by castling Hope at the stroke of lunch to end his fighting stand of 48 with Chase.
SWINGING DELIVERY
Siraj returned after the break to remove the West Indies captain with a superb swinging delivery that took the outside edge, before debutant Khary Pierre was trapped in front by Washington for 11.
Bumrah bowled out Greaves and Johann Layne (1) to take his 50th wicket at home, before Kuldeep marked his first test start in nearly a year by getting rid of Jomel Warrican for eight to complete the job.
Thrashed 3-0 by Australia on home soil in July, the West Indies are missing injured seamers Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph on their first tour of India in seven years.
India are playing their first test at home under new captain Gill after the retirements of veterans Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin.
They are looking to sweep the current two-match series and banish memories of their previous home assignment when they were hammered 3-0 by New Zealand late last year.
((Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru;Editing by Peter Rutherford))
