Done and dusted in less than eight hours

Ahmedabad: As India declared at their overnight score of 448/5 — a mammoth lead of 286 runs — upon arrival on the third morning, the result of the opening Test against the West Indies was a foregone conclusion. The only question was how soon India would pack up their hapless opponents. And it didn’t take long as the hosts wrapped things up in a haste -- an hour and a half after lunch here on Saturday.

Vice-captain Ravindra Jadeja, who scored a brilliant 104 not out, completed a wonderful Test with a fine 4/54 effort to be adjudged the Player of the Match, while first innings’ wrecker-in-chief Mohammed Siraj (3/31), Kuldeep Yadav (2/23) and Washington Sundar (1/18) chipped in beautifully as the West Indies were bowled out for just 146 in 45.1 overs, India scoring a thumping innings and a 140-run victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

India skipper Shubman Gill sprang a surprise right after checking in on Saturday. Yes, India were way ahead of the contest at having dismissed West Indies for a paltry 162 in the first innings, but the expectation was for Gill to give overnight batter Washington Sundar and the next man, Nitish Kumar Reddy, some much-needed batting practice. While Sundar has at least engaged himself in two first-class matches in the County Championship following the bruising England series, Nitish, who missed the last two Tests at Old Blighty due to a knee injury, had played just one game versus Australia A in Lucknow. An outing with the bat here would have been good practice.

Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir had other ideas, though. They just wanted their bowlers to hasten the end that would give them a couple of extra days off, a rarity in the crowded calendar. And West Indies batters duly obliged with another inept show that exposed their inadequacy to handle high-quality opposition.

West Indies’ slide began as early as the eighth over when Nitish pulled off an exceptional airborne catch at square leg to dismiss opener Tangerine Chanderpaul off Siraj. Within a blink of an eye, West Indies were staring down the barrel after being reduced to 46/5, batter after batter gifting his wicket on a platter through poor shot-making. Not one from the top-order, barring Alick Athanaze (38), showed any aptitude, application or the will to fight. It seemed like they’d already resigned themselves to defeat.

Athanaze and Justin Greaves delayed the inevitable by forging a 46-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but as soon as Sundar prised out the former in the eighth over after lunch, the end was near. West Indies tail-enders then swung their bats wildly for sheer entertainment, but Indian bowlers stuck to their guns to keep chipping away at the wickets before sealing victory at exactly 1:40 pm — the match lasting a grand total of seven and a half sessions. India will now fly to New Delhi knowing a whitewash is there for the taking, while West Indies, who haven’t beaten India in a Test in the subcontinent since the 1994-95 series, know nothing less than a miracle will snap that streak.

“I think this was the perfect game for us,” said a delighted Gill in the post-match press conference. “Three centuries, and we fielded really well, so no complaints. Whenever you get a start, I think it was a pretty good wicket to bat on, and we both (he and Yashasvi Jaiswal) got starts but couldn't convert, but we are happy for the centurions. Over a period of two years, how we bonded as a team and how we got out of tough situations was really pleasing for me to see. We are still a learning side, and as long as we keep learning, it's on the positive side.”

Cut-off box - SCORE BOARD  WEST INDIES (I Innings): 162  INDIA (I Innings): 448/5 decl  WEST INDIES (II Innings): Campbell c Sudharsan b Jadeja 14 (32b 1x4) Chanderpaul c Nitish b Siraj 8 (23b 1x4) Athanaze c&b Sundar 38 (74b 3x4)  King c Rahul b Jadeja 5 (18b 1x4) Chase b Kuldeep 1 (4b) Hope c Jaiswal b Jadeja 1 (14b) Greaves lbw Siraj 25 (52b 4x4) Pierre (not out) 13 (28b 2x4) Warrican c Gill b Siraj 0 (2b) Layne c Siraj b Jadeja 14 (13b 3x4) Seales c & b Kuldeep 22 (12b 1x4 2x6) Extras (B-4 NB-1) 5 TOTAL (all out 45.1 overs) 146 Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Chanderpaul) 2-24 (Campbell) 3-34 (King) 4-35 (Chase) 5-46 (Hope) 6-92 (Athanaze) 7-98 (Greaves) 8-98 (Warrican) 9-122 (Layne).  Bowling: Bumrah 6-1-16-0 Siraj 11-2-31-3 Jadeja 13-3-54-4 (nb-1) Kuldeep 8.1-3-23-2 Sundar 7-1-18-1.  Result: India won by an innings and 140 runs. Series: India lead 2-match series 1-0. PoM: Ravindra Jadeja. Second Test: Oct 10-14 (New Delhi).