India tightened their grip on the first Test with a massive batting display, piling up 448 for 5 and securing a 286-run lead over West Indies. Centuries from KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, and Ravindra Jadeja highlighted a day where India scored 327 runs for just three wickets.
Rahul struck his first century at home since 2016, surviving an early chance when Jayden Seales found his edge but a slip fielder was missing. He went on to reach three figures and marked the occasion with a heartfelt celebration for his newborn daughter. Jurel, playing his maiden Test innings of such magnitude, impressed with solid judgment and crisp back-foot strokes. He handled the second new ball with composure and marked his maiden hundred with a salute to his father, a former army man.
Jadeja’s knock was the most aggressive of the lot. With the pitch starting to wear and turn, India’s left-hander counter-attacked the spinners by advancing down the track and finding boundaries. Seven of his eleven fours came from this approach, along with a six that eased him through the nineties. He joined Rahul and Jurel as the third centurion of the innings, the first time India managed three hundreds at home since 2018, also against West Indies.
West Indies’ spinners Jomel Warrican, Roston Chase, and Khary Pierre toiled hard but were left with bruising figures of 4 for 283 from 82 overs. Seales bowled with heart, touching 140kph despite cramps late in the day, while Warrican managed to remove Rahul after a long spell. Pierre finally tasted success at age 34, claiming his maiden Test wicket after years in the domestic grind.
Shubman Gill contributed 50 but fell attempting a reverse sweep in India’s attacking phase against spin. By stumps, India had complete control, leaving West Indies with little margin for error. The visitors’ defensive mindset early in the day only allowed India to dictate terms and dominate proceedings.
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