IND vs WI Live Score, 1st Test: West Indies (42/4 in 11.4 ov), top order implodes against Bumrah and Siraj

This is poor Man! Immitates Barbadian accent.

Alick Athanaze tries to go for the flashy drive and it is the fourth wicket of the day for India. In the first hour of play West Indies have nearly lost have their side, and there are signs that this might turn out to be a long long series for them.

Shai Hope and Roston Chase are at the crease now. Two of the most experienced batters in the team.

Live Score: West Indies (42/4 in 11.4 overs) vs India. Roston Chase (0*), Shai Hope (0*).

WICKET!

I told you! I told you that the wicket was coming.

Brandon King, what a horrible leave. Length ball from Mohammed Siraj on the off stump. The ball comes back into King from wide of the crease. He leaves, and the ball crashes into the off stump. Very poor batting. No reading of the bowler at all.

Live Score: West Indies (39/3 in 10 overs) vs India. Alick Athanaze (9*), Brandon King (13).

Both West Indies batters have returned back to the hut. What happened there?

West Indies have searched for big booming boundaries throughout the morning. For a side who are weak in red ball cricket, this is perhaps the highest number of boundary shots that I have seen against a top quality bowling attack.

In turn, they have been trapped behind the stumps while trying to play shots.

Brandon King is doing the same thing now, playing booming drives through the off side. I am telling you, the next wicket is coming soon.

Live Score: West Indies (34/2 in 9 overs) vs India. Alick Athanaze (9*), Brandon King (9*).

What an incredible decision from the third umpire. Hold up! We will have to delve deep in this.

First, The Ball: Jasprit Bumrah bowls a full length outswinger against John Campbell from around the wicket. The ball squares him up, passes very close to his bat and goes to the keeper. The entire Indian team appeals.

Umpire's Decision: The infield umpire calls it not out. Says that the ball did not touch the bat.

Replay: The replay suggests that Campbell hit his bat with the pad. But wait, the ball also goes very very close to the bat, kisses the edge, I think. UltraEdge shows that there is a spike when the ball is close to the bat, and the bat hits the pad.

BIG CONFUSION

DRS Decision: The umpire takes a long look at it, and suggests that there are two spikes. And then says that the ball's seam changed direction as it went past the bat. He asks the on-field umpire to change his not out decision.

Live Score: West Indies (21/1 in 7 overs) vs India. John Campbell (8), Brandon King (0*).

Mohammed Siraj strikes in his second over. It has taken India only 4 overs to get their first wicket of the match.

Very good thinking from Siraj. After failing to generate a chance with traditional swing in the first over, Siraj quickly switches to scrambled seam and puts Tagenarine in trouble.

He manages to find the edge, but the soft hands of Tagenarine mean that the ball dies before going to slips.

Siraj gets to his mark again, loads up the bouncer, and bowls it short into the left-hander's body. Tagenarine, trying to gingerly escape the ball, gets an edge down the leg side to Dhruv Jurel.

India gets their first wicket.

Live Score: West Indies (12/1 in 4 overs) vs India. John Campbell (8*), Tagenarine Chanderpaul (0).

First runs of the bat for West Indies.

John Campbell punches the pacer down the ground for a four and then flicks the pacer through square leg to pick up the second boundary of the third over of the match.

There are the first runs for the Windies side with the bat.

On the other side. Mohammed Siraj, who bowled an incredible number of overs in England keeps it disciplined. He generates a run out chance but that goes begging in the previous over.

Live Score: West Indies (12/0 in 3 overs) vs India. John Campbell (8*), Tagenarine Chanderpaul (0*).

Star India pacer Jasprit Bumrah starts with the ball. He strays on the pads for the first few balls and then adjusts his line.

John Campbell, who took strike for West Indies tries to flick one down the leg. He gets a thick edge off his pads and the ball goes for four down the fine leg region.

Live Score: West Indies (4/0 in 1 over) vs India. John Campbell (0*), Tagenarine Chanderpaul (0*).

West Indies have handed Johann Layne a debut in their line-up

West Indies Playing XI:

Tagenarine Chanderpaul, John Campbell, Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Shai Hope(w), Roston Chase(c), Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre, Johann Layne, Jayden Seales

Roston Chase at the toss: We are going to bat first. Looks a good one. There will be a bit of moisture, it is Test cricket and we will have to handle that first couple of hours. It is a young side, we want to come out and play some good cricket. We don't want to be batting last on this wicket as we know it will turn. We have gone with two seamers, two spinners and an allrounder.

It is toss time in Ahmedabad.

Ravi Shastri is at the toss and we are ready for the game to officially begin.

West Indies have won the toss and opted to bat first. Roston Chase says 2 orthodox pacers, 2 orthodox spinners and one all-rounder is what their combination is.

Shubman Gill is not too fussed about losing the toss. India are playing Bumrah, Siraj and Nitish Reddy + three spinners in Kuldeep, Jadeja and Washington Sundar.

Darren Ganga and Deep Dasgupta with the pitch report

"This is a red soil pitch with an even covering of grass. There will be seam and swing on offer. The square has some barren wickets, so as the ball gets old, it will offer some reverse swing," says Darren Ganga.

Deep Dasgupta points out that the pitch feels a little cold to the touch, which means that there is moisture in this pitch.

So win toss and bowl first?

West Indies’ most exciting development in recent years has been their fast-bowling talent. The Josephs — Shamar and Alzarri — have thrilled fans with their pace and hostility. Both, however, have been ruled out of the India tour due to injuries, leaving a significant hole in the attack.

The responsibility now falls on 23-year-old Jayden Seales, widely regarded as a future great. Seales impressed in bursts against Australia at home but often lacked the batting support to turn good spells into match-winning ones.

He will be backed by an inexperienced pace unit: uncapped youngsters Jediah Blades and Johann Layne, along with three-Test-old Anderson Phillip. None have played in India before, and their ability to adapt quickly will be crucial.

West Indies' spin-focused batting line-up:

In the aftermath of a humiliating 0–3 defeat to Australia at home, West Indies hit the reset button. Long-time captain Kraigg Brathwaite was dropped, signalling a shift in strategy.

Selectors recalled Alick Athanaze and Tagenarine Chanderpaul — son of the legendary Shivnarine Chanderpaul — specifically for their reputed ability to handle spin. Shai Hope, a stylish batter with IPL experience, returns to the Test fold for the first time in four years.

Brandon King, expected to slot into the middle order, is another key figure. Known for his aggressive strokeplay, King will be tasked with transitioning from a “next big thing” prospect to a genuine match-winner who can drive the run-scoring engine.

While there is not a lot of overlap between the T20I and the Test side, but it is the mental shift that might turn out to be challenging.

Shubman Gill will have to make the biggest adjustment after a successful Asia Cup campaign, but as the India captain you expect nothing less.

Parthiv Patel on the broadcast expects Gill to struggle in the first Test match.

Considering how the surface looked in the practice session, it is highly unlikely that India will play three spinners. Does that mean that Kuldeep Yadav will sit out once again. Will India only play Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja in their playing XI?

In the last tour, where India played England away from home, they persisted with a three pacer strategy. Considering those pitches looked more subcontinental than subcontinent itself, India might opt for a similar combination here as well.

The first Test match of the 2-game series begins only days after Asia Cup. Considering the whole workload management drama from the England series, it was odd to see Jasprit Bumrah included in the squad in the first place.

However, chief of national selection committee Ajit Agarkar said that after missing the last WTC Final, India were going to take no chances this season and play full strength teams in every series.

Having said that, it is not confirmed that Bumrah will play the game.

India might just roll out Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna and have Nitish Kumar Reddy as the third seaming option today.

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