The Indian bowlers produced a clinical performance in the first session of the ongoing Test match against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium, restricting the visitors to 90/5 in 23.2 overs at lunch on Day 1. Right-arm seamer Mohammed Siraj was the star for India, claiming three crucial wickets while conceding just 19 runs in his seven-over spell.

West Indies struggle after winning toss

West Indies captain Roston Chase won the toss and opted to bat first, but the Caribbean side failed to make a strong start on a pitch offering assistance to both seamers and spinners. Openers John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul faced an early setback, with Chanderpaul dismissed for a duck in the fourth over by Siraj, leaving the team at 12/1.

Following the dismissal, left-handed batter Alick Athanaze joined Campbell, but the pair managed only eight runs before Campbell was sent back by Jasprit Bumrah on the first ball of the seventh over. The visitors’ woes continued as Brandon King scored 13 off 15 balls before being cleaned up by Siraj in the 10th over, bringing the West Indies to 39/3.

Siraj leads India’s bowling charge

After the fall of three wickets, Roston Chase came to the crease and added just three runs with Athanaze before the latter was dismissed in the 12th over by Siraj. Shai Hope, the wicketkeeper-batter, joined Chase and helped push the score past the 50-run mark, hitting a boundary off Nitish Kumar Reddy in the 13th over.

However, at 90 runs, India struck again as left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Hope for 26 from 36 balls, leaving the West Indies at 90/5.

Indian bowlers share the wickets

Apart from Siraj’s remarkable three-wicket haul, Jasprit Bumrah picked up one wicket in eight overs (1/24), while Kuldeep Yadav also accounted for one wicket in his brief 1.4-over spell (1/7). The early breakthroughs have put India in a commanding position in the match.

Lunch scores and session summary

At the end of the first session, West Indies were struggling with five wickets down for just 90 runs, with Chase unbeaten on 22 and the team reeling under pressure. India’s bowlers demonstrated precision and control, exploiting both seam and spin to keep the visitors in check.

Brief scores: West Indies 90/5 in 23.2 overs (Shai Hope 26, Roston Chase 22; Mohammed Siraj 3/19) vs India.

India, led by Shubman Gill, will look to capitalise on this early advantage in the second session, aiming to further restrict the West Indies and dominate proceedings in their home conditions.