Shami wrecks WI, Ind draw first blood

Pacer Mohammad Shami capped a dream debut to reverse swing India to an innings and 51-run win over a hapless West Indies inside three days to mark a fabulous start to the Sachin Tendulkar farewell series on Friday. 

Shami followed up his 4/71, picked in the first innings, with 5/47 in the second to finish with an enviable match haul of 9/118, the best by an Indian pacer on Test debut, as India won their fifth match on the trot.

Needing 219 runs to escape the ignominy of an innings upset, the West Indies battleed but collapsed like a pack of cards in the final session, to be bundled out for 168. Veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul (31 not out; 101 b, 2x4) put up a gritty resistance, but ran out of partners as the match ended 98 minutes after tea. Offie Ravichandran Ashwin followed up his success with the bat (124) with admirable figures of 3/46. He had also taken two wickets in the visitors’ first innings.

In the morning, Ashwin struck his second Test ton (210b 11x4) and extended his seventh wicket stand with Man of the Match Rohit Sharma (177, 301b 23x4, 1x6) to a staggering 280 to enable the hosts finish at a mammoth 453. West Indies raised the promise of a fightback as seasoned opener Chris Gayle (33) started in a blitz manner. But the Jamaican was the first to get out  to a poor shot. 

The Caribbeans reached 101/1, courtesy a 68-run second wicket stand between Darren Bravo (37) and Kieran Powell (36) before Ashwin began the Caribbean demolition. He foxed Powell with a flighted delivery that hit the batsman on the pad plumb in front of the stumps.

Shami returned with vengeance close to tea, and saw the back of Marlon Samuels (4) with one that reversed and got him leg before. In the second over after tea, Bravo tried to cut Ashwin, but finished in the hands of Rohit Sharma at point. 

Shami then jagged one back after pitching on a length just outside the off stump, inducing an inside edge from Windies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin (1). In the 49th over, the Bengal pacer again pitched on a length outside the off stump and got the ball to reverse, uprooting Sammy’s middle stump. Two deliveries later, Shane Shillingford got a similar ball which unsettled the off stump through the gate. 

Shami then extracted enough reverse swing to hit Veerasammy Permaul’s (0) pads and as the fielders went up in appeal, Permaul took a few steps out of the crease only to see an alert Dhoni throw down the stumps for a close run out dismissal.

Earlier, resuming at 354/6 overnight, Ashwin and Rohit batted fluently to notch up a stand of 280, which catapulted the hosts to a strong position. Ashwin brought up his delightful 100 in the fourth over by pushing the same bowler through the sweeper cover.

Reaching the three-figure mark, a visibly ecstatic Ashwin punched the air as Tendulkar applauded in appreciation in the dressing room balcony. The landmark was reached off 159 balls. For the visitors, Shillingford (6/167) claimed his fifth five-wicket haul in 11 Tests.