India took a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series against West Indies after beating the hosts by an innings and 92 runs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on day four. India’s fast bowlers did the damage in the first innings while it was the spinners who came to the party in the second innings.
Virat Kohli’s maiden Test double-century and Ravichandran Ashwin’s third Test ton helped India declare on 566/8. In response, West Indies got off to the worst possible start as they were bowled out for 243 in the first innings and Kohli had no hesitation in enforcing the follow-on.
The hosts began day 4 on 21/1 and lost Darren Bravo early. From then onwards, it was a question of when and not if they will lose the match. After just picking up one wicket going into lunch, Ashwin got in on the action and before long picked up a five-wicket haul.
The off-spinner polished off the tail and finished with a seven-wicket haul as West Indies were bowled out for 231.
Here are some interesting numbers from the game:
0 – No Indian bowler has better figures in West Indies than Ravichandran Ashwin’s 7/83. The previous record was held by Subhash Gupte who picked up 7/162 at Port of Spain.
0 – Jermaine Blackwood has scored a duck in four of his last seven innings. During which time, his scores read 0, 0, 28, 20, 10, 0, 0.
1 – This was Ashwin's first wicket-haul outside the sub-continent. His figures of 7/83 were also his best outside Asia, beating the 4/105 he took against Australia in Sydney last January.
1 – India’s win by an innings and 92 runs is their biggest Test win outside Asia, beating the previous record of an innings and 90 runs against Zimbabwe. This was also India’s third innings victory outside Asia.
2 – Ashwin has achieved the feat of a century and a five-for in a Test match twice, joining Garry Sobers, Mushtaq Mohammad, Jacques Kallis and Shakib-Al-Hasan in second place. Only Ian Botham with five, has achieved this feat more than Ashwin.
2 – Marlon Samuels has made a 50+ score in both occasions while following-on against India.
3 – Ravichandran Ashwin became only the third player after Jack Gregory and Ian Botham to score a century and pick up a seven-wicket in the same Test. Botham has achieved the feat twice.
4 – This was only the fourth time that an Indian player has scored a hundred and taken a five-wicket haul in the same match. Ashwin achieved the same feat once before and the others to have done it are Vinoo Mankad and Polly Umrigar.
5 – No team has enforced the follow-on more times than India in the last five years. In the six chances they had to enforce it, they did it five times. England, New Zealand and South Africa have all done it four times.
6 – Jermaine Blackwood became the sixth batsman to register a pair in a Ind-WI Test. The last to achieve this unwanted milestone was Chris Gayle back in 2006.
6 – This is India’s sixth win in their last seven Tests.
17 – Virat Kohli’s 200 is the 17th double century by an Indian batsman to be made in a winning cause. Overall, there have been 44 double tons scored by Indians.
17 – Ashwin’s tally of 17 five-wicket hauls is the most by any spinner in his first 33 Tests. Among all bowlers, only Waqar Younis with 19 had more than Ashwin.
45 – Although he fell 5 short of his fifty, this is Devendra Bishoo’s highest Test score, beating his 30 against England last year.
95 – The 95-run partnership between Devendra Bishoo and Carlos Brathwaite is the highest by a West Indian pair for the 9th wicket while following on, beating the previous record of 63* held by Sobers and Hall against England. The pair just fell 10 short of the overall-best held by Kulasekara and Vaas, which was also against England.
200 – Virat Kohli’s 200 is now the highest score by an Indian captain in a victorious Test outside India. Rahul Dravid’s 129 against Bangladesh in 2007 was the previous record.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
