India’s 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle begins with the first Test against West Indies at Windsor Park, Dominica.
Rohit Sharma’s side are looking to bounce back from an excruciating WTC Final loss to Australia last month at The Oval in London.
The hosts, Windies, meanwhile are at a very low point in their history, having failed to qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup. A bright showing against a strong Indian side would go some way towards soothing their hurt.
Will India hammer West Indies as expected or will the hosts mount a spirited fight? Follow all the action across the Test with us here.
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West Indies vs India first Test Day 2 live updates
Welcome to our live coverage of the first Test between West Indies and India at Windsor Park, Dominica.
10:42 am local time (8:12 pm IST): Maiden half-century for Yashasvi Jaiswal in his first-ever Test match. Dream debut for the Rajasthan Royals star!
10:00 am local time (7:30 pm IST): Action commences on Day 2
West Indies vs India first Test Day 1 live updates
STUMPS ON DAY 1: India 80/0, trail West Indies (150) by 70 runs (Yashasvi 40*, Rohit 30*).
India’s domination of Day 1 of this Test was clear for all to see, as the tourists close the day in a commanding position at Windsor Park.
After a five-wicket haul from Ravichandran Ashwin (5/60) saw India bowl out the hosts for a poor 150 in their first innings, they then took control with the bat.
In a final session interrupted very briefly by rain, skipper Rohit Sharma and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal raced to 80 for no loss in 23 overs to seize the upper hand.
Jaiswal looked at home on his promotion to the Test side, hitting six fours in his unbeaten 73-ball knock to set his side up for Day 2.
That’s Stumps on Day 1 of the opening #WIvIND Test!#TeamIndia move to 80/0, with captain Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal making a fine start.
We will be back tomorrow for Day 2 action!
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/FWI05P4Bnd pic.twitter.com/aksOAvowGc
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 12, 2023
3:51 pm (2:21 am IST): The covers are off and play resumes, with India 66/0 in reply.
3:47 pm (2:17 am IST): The rain has started to come down in Dominica. It looks like just a passing shower, so hopefully we will not be delayed for too long.
1:40 pm local time (12:10 am IST): TEA
WI: 137/8 (58 overs)
Rahkeem Cornwall 8*, Kemar Roach 0*, R Ashwin 4/49, R Jadeja 2/24
The second session has finally come to and end for the Windies. They’ve crumbled to 137/8 at the end of that session, with Ashwin taking two wickets more to take his innings tally to four.
It was Jadeja who got the ball rolling early on in the session, sending back Joshua Da Silva who tried to cut and ended up edging him to the keeper. Though Althanaze (47) and Holder (18) put up a fight of sorts, stitching a 41-run stand, Siraj’s short-ball strategy was too tempting for Holder.
It wasn’t long before Ashwin got his 700th international wicket with a carrom ball that deceived Alzarri Joseph’s attempted slog. He also dismissed Althanaze with a quicker short ball which was mistimed to midwicket.
The Windies crumbled like cookies and will now play catch-up against a very strong team.
11:00 am local time (9:30 pm IST): LUNCH
WI: 68/4 (28 overs)
Alick Althanaze 13*, R Ashwin 2/25, R Jadeja 1/6
It’s lunch on day 1 and India have absolutely dominated the hosts on a sluggish surface.
It was Brathwaite who elected to bat after winning the toss but the slow nature of the surface meant Rohit Sharma introduced Ashwin very quickly in the game. And his star spinner did not disappoint.
He priced out Chanderpaul with an absolute peach of a delivery that turned the batsman square and took the top of off. Ashwin then went on to dismiss Brathwaite who holed out going for a big shot.
R Ashwin. Instant impact. #WIvIND #SabJawaabMilenge #JioCinema pic.twitter.com/jh1ZcPtpy6
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) July 12, 2023
As you can read here, in dismissing Chanderpaul, Ashwin also joined an exclusive bowling club.
As Ashwin mounted the pressure, Shardul Thakur benefitted with Raymon Reifer nicking him behind going for an expansive shot. At the stroke of lunch, Jadeja sent back Jermaine Blackwood with Siraj holding on to a stunning catch at mid on.
For West Indies, firmly on the backfoot already, the only positive was the temperament shown by debutant Althanaze so far.
Windsor Park: Pitch Report
The pitch at Windsor Park seems to be slightly dry and should help spinners as the game goes by.
For detailed information on stadium records and history at the venue, read this piece.
Playing XIs: India hand debuts to Jaiswal and Kishan
West Indies XI: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood, Alick Althanaze (debut), Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Rahkeem Cornwall, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican
India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal (debut), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan (wk, debut), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj
READ: Should Virat Kohli be reappointed India Test captain?
West Indies vs India first Test toss report
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and elected to bat first in what is the first Test at Dominica in six years.
He said, “Surface is generally dry, but there’s moisture in the first hour. We had a ten-day camp in Antigua. Lara was there, that was good for our young batters.”
Rohit Sharma, after losing the toss, said, “We started off with Barbados, played a practice game there. We’ve had good prep here even though rain played spoilsport a little. Just want the debutants to enjoy. They will have nerves but it’s our responsibility to make sure they enjoy.”
West Indies vs India first Test: Live streaming details
FanCode, the exclusive streaming partner of the West Indies cricket team, holds the rights to all West Indies games played in the Caribbean.
However, Dream Sports, FanCode’s parent company, has sub-licensed the streaming rights with JioCinema, which gained a lot of followers during IPL 2023 but has since experienced some sort of a decline.
JioCinema will live stream the matches for free to all users.
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West Indies vs India first Test: TV channel details
West Indies vs India first Test will be televised on Doordarshan (DD), India’s public broadcaster.
With six DD Network channels airing the broadcast in six different languages, this will be the most comprehensive coverage of an India bilateral series on a free-to-air channel ever.
The matches will be broadcast on DD Sports, DD Podhigai, DD Saptagiri, DD Yadagiri, DD Bangla, and DD Chandana.