Team India began their World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 campaign in style against the West Indies on Wednesday, July 12 as the home side lost three wickets in the first session itself. Playing after more than a month, Team India was on the money from ball one after the West Indies chose to bat first. For India, the wrecker-in-chief was the veteran spinner R Ashwin, who dismissed both the West Indies openers including skipper Kraigg Brathwaite.
Ashwin, who was playing for the first game after IPL 2023, was on fire as after the two openers kept the Indian bowlers at bay, they failed to play out the guile and intelligence of the veteran spinner. Ashwin first got through Chanderpaul's gate before skipper Brathwaite played a suicidal shot up in the air towards covers only to mistime it and Indian captain Rohit Sharma took a simple catch.
With the wicket of Chanderpaul, Ashwin became the first Indian bowler in Test cricket history to dismiss both father and son and overall fifth bowler after Ian Botham, Wasim Akram, Mitchell Starc and Simon Harmer.
Bowlers to dismiss both father and son in Tests
Ian Botham - Lance and Chris Cairns
Wasim Akram - Lance and Chris Cairns
Mitchell Starc - Shivnarine and Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Simon Harmer - Shivnarine and Tagenarine Chanderpaul
R Ashwin - Shivnarine and Tagenarine Chanderpaul
The West Indies batters just didn't have many answers for the Indian bowlers as they kept losing wickets. The moment it looked like a batter was going to play for some time, he would give his wicket away. After dismissing the openers early, the golden arm of Shardul Thakur struck for the first time getting Raymon Reifer out cheaply as Ishan Kishan claimed his first catch in Tests on debut.
It seemed like Jermaine Blackwood and Alick Athanaze would take West Indies through to lunch without any more hiccups, but Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj with a superman effort combined to dismiss Blackwood just before lunch.
