Athanaze sparkles briefly but Windies struggle

A lethargic West Indies were rolled over for the second lowest first innings total at Windsor Park as World number ones India dominated the opening day of the first Test in Dominica’s capital on Wednesday.

Choosing to bat first, West Indies produced an indifferent performance to be all out for 150, about 24 minutes after tea, with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin wrecking the innings with his 33rd five-wicket haul of five for 60.

He was supported by left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja who picked up three for 26, as West Indies never really recovered after capitulating to 68 for four at lunch and declining even further to 137 for eight at tea.

In reply, India coasted to 80 without loss to finish the day only 70 runs arrears. Debutant left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal was unbeaten on 40 from 73 balls with six fours, and partnered by captain Rohit Sharma on 30 from 65 deliveries, including three fours and a six.

With West Indies enduring yet another difficult day of Test cricket, the only standout was the stylish debutant Alick Athanaze, who top-scored  with 47 before perishing 11 minutes before tea.

Arriving at the crease half-hour before lunch, the 24-year-old left-hander crafted a composed innings which required 99 balls and 2-¼ hours, and comprised half-dozen fours and a six.

His 41-run, sixth wicket stand with all-rounder Jason Holder (18) in the second session was the best of the innings but it proved in vain as the hosts lost their last five wickets for just 33 runs.

“I think the key for me today was just settling in,” said Athanaze, who was playing before his home crowd.

“Normally when I bat I tend to score quickly but it was just about giving myself a chance, adapting to the conditions and understanding what [the bowlers] were trying to do.

“Once added responsibility is placed on me, I tend to thrive in those situations. So it wasn’t an ideal situation for the team but coming in, it helped me to switch on that a couple of wickets were down.”

There was no sign of the malaise to come when captain Kraigg Brathwaite (20) and left-hander Tagenarine Chanderpaul (12) posted 31 for the first wicket.

However, Ashwin’s introduction after only eight overs changed the complexion of the morning, as the veteran 36-year-old initiated the Caribbean side’s decline by removing both openers.

In his third over on the stroke of the hour, he got one to drift past Chanderpaul’s forward defensive prod and hit off-stump, before getting Brathwaite to sky a leg-side swing to short cover where Rohit took an easy catch at 38 for two, 45 minutes before lunch.

Left-hander Raymon Reifer (2) never settled and eventually nicked a drive at seamer Shardul Thakur off the 18th ball he faced, the catch taken inches from the turf by debutant wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan.

His dismissal brought Athanaze to the crease and he combined with Jermaine Blackwood (14) to keep India wicket-less for the next half-hour before the West Indies vice-captain’s rush of blood saw him perish to the final delivery before lunch.

Blackwood tried to clear mid-off with a lofted drive off Jadeja but Mohammad Siraj spectacularly hauled in a one-handed catch leaping high to his right.

On 13 at the break, Athanaze lost Joshua Da Silva for two in the fourth over after the resumption, caught at the wicket edging an attempted cut, as West Indies slipped even further to 76 for five.

Athanaze played positively despite the crisis. His first boundary was a swivel pull behind square off Shardul and as he grew into his innings, he slog-swept Jadeja to the backward square boundary before smashing Ashwin over the ropes at mid-wicket to move into the 40s.

The end of the partnership saw the end of all resistance, however. Holder lost concentration and holed out on the pull to deep square off new-ball pacer Mohammed Siraj in the fourth over following the drinks break and Alzarri Joseph (4) lasted only 11 balls before miscuing a drive at Ashwin to backward point.

Appearing unfazed and with a half-century in sight, Athanaze top-edged a pull at a short one from Ashwin and was taken at mid-wicket, with tea approaching.

Rahkeem Cornwall, in his first Test in nearly two years, lashed three fours in an unbeaten 19 but neither Kemar Roach (1) nor Jomel Warrican (1) put up much of a fight.

About The Author