India yesterday controlled the proceedings against the West Indies by restricting the hosts to 146 for the loss of eights wickets at tea on the first day of the opening Test of the two-match series.
Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, back in the playing XI after being left out for the World Test Championship final last month, was the pick of the bowlers with four scalps in the first four hours of the first day.
At the tea break, tall West Indies spinner Rakheem Cornwall was batting on 17 while the other not out batter was Kemar Roach on zero.
For India, Ravindra Jadeja picked up two wickets while Mohamed Siraj and Shardul Thakur got a wicket apiece.
Earlier Ashwin made an immediate impact with two wickets on his return to Test cricket as India reduced the West Indies to 68 for four at lunch on the first day of the opening Test.
Omitted for the World Test Championship final against Australia a month earlier, the 36-year-old spinner removed openers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kraigg Brathwaite having being brought into the attack after just 40 minutes’ play on what looked a placid pitch offering little assistance for the faster bowlers.
However seam bowling all-rounder Thakur then had Raymon Reifer caught behind in his first over while Jermaine Blackwood’s luck ran out when he was brilliantly caught by a leaping Siraj at mid-off to the bowling of Ashwin’s spin partner Jadeja in what proved to be the final ball before the interval.
Blackwood was dropped first ball off Ashwin by wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, one of two debutants for the Indians, the other being 21-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal, selected to open the batting with captain Rohit Sharma.
Sharma’s opposite number, Brathwaite, will be regretting his decision to bat first at this stage as the home side resumes in the afternoon session with local boy and debutant, Alick Athanaze (13 not out) seeking to impress against a confident Indian side.

SCOREBOARD
West Indies Ist Innings
K. Brathwaite (c) c Sharma b Ashwin 20
T. Chanderpaul b Ashwin 12
R. Reifer c † Kishan b Thakur 2
J. Blackwood c Siraj b Jadeja 14
A. Athanaze c Thakur b Ashwin 47
J. Da Silva † c † Kishan b Jadeja 2
J. Holder c Thakur b Siraj 18
A. Joseph c Unadkat b Ashwin 4
R. Cornwall not out 17
K. Roach not out 0
Extras: (b 2, lb 5, nb 2, w 1) 10
Total: (59.2 Overs) 146 for 8
Yet to bat: Jomel Warrican
Fall of wickets: 1-31 (Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 12.5 ov), 2-38 (Kraigg Brathwaite, 16.3 ov), 3-47 (Raymon Reifer, 19.3 ov), 4-68 (Jermaine Blackwood, 27.6 ov), 5-76 (Joshua Da Silva, 31.5 ov), 6-117 (Jason Holder, 49.4 ov), 7-124 (Alzarri Joseph, 52.4 ov), 8-129 (Alick Athanaze, 54.6 ov) Bowling: Mohamed Siraj 12-2-25-1; Jaydev Unadkat 7-2-17-0; Ravichandran Ashwin 22-6-58-4; Shardul Thakur 7-3-15-1; Ravindra Jadeja 11.2-5-24-2
Toss: West Indies
Second Test: July 20-25