West Indies vs India 2023, 1st Test: India decimate West Indies by an innings and 141 runs on day 3

India defeated hosts West Indies by a huge margin by an innings and 141 runs in the first test at Dominica.

India cruised to a convincing three-day victory, kickstarting their ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 campaign with a commendable 12 points in their tally. The outcome of the match was hardly ever in doubt. Despite winning the toss, West Indies squandered the opportunity by displaying a reckless approach, attempting too many aggressive shots. Their first-innings total of 150 proved to be meager on a pitch that offered the best batting conditions of the match, which the hosts failed to capitalize on.

Yashasvi Jaiswal highlighted the hosts' missed opportunities with his patient and well-constructed innings of 171 on his debut. Rohit Sharma contributed a solid 103, while Virat Kohli struggled his way to 76. With a surprise declaration at 421 for 5, India secured a substantial first-innings lead of 271, setting the stage for an imminent victory. Although the hosts displayed some patience in their second innings, they were outmatched by Ravi Ashwin on a deteriorating pitch. The pitch offered turn, bounce, and bite, proving to be too much for the hosts to handle, with only Alick Athanze displaying solidity and composure.

While the hosts may have hoped to extend the match to the fourth day, Ashwin's exceptional performance, claiming seven wickets, dashed any such aspirations for the Windies. The pitch itself will likely be a topic of discussion, as it seemed tailor-made for Ashwin and Jadeja to exploit its conditions.

Ravi Ashwin with yet another excellent performance

After securing his 33rd five-wicket haul in the first innings, Ravi Ashwin continued his exceptional form by claiming 7 wickets for 71 runs in the second innings. This outstanding performance marked Ashwin's 34th five-wicket haul in Test matches and an impressive 8th ten-wicket haul in a single match.

Yashasvi Jaiswal won the Man of the Match

Yashasvi Jaiswal's outstanding performance on his test debut has etched his name in Indian cricket history. With an impressive innings of 171 runs, Jaiswal joins the esteemed company of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma as one of the three Indian batsmen to achieve the remarkable feat of scoring 150 runs in their debut Test match. Notably, Yashasvi Jaiswal won the well-deserved Man of the Match award for his world class innings of 171 runs.