India outplayed West Indies with both ball and bat on Day 1 of the opening Test against West Indies in Dominica.

Riding on off-spinner R Ashwin’s stunning five-wicket haul (5/60), India bundled out the hosts for a paltry 150 in 64.3 overs.

At stumps, the visitors reached 80/0, trailing the Caribbean by 70 runs. While skipper Rohit Sharma finished the opening day on 30 not out off 65 balls, debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal remained unbeaten on 40 off 73 balls.

After the first day’s play, veteran pacer Ishant Sharma said that Jaiswal has a great opportunity to smash a century on Test debut.

“He now has a platform to build on. He should first try to reach his fifty and then gradually build his innings. It’s a great opportunity for him to target a century,” Ishant said while commentating for the broadcaster.

A veteran of 105 Tests, Ishant expects the wicket to deteriorate as the game will progress. He also predicted that India would not have to bat for the second time if they do well in the first innings.

“As the day advances, the wicket will also deteriorate. So, from the position they are in, India would look at a lead of 300 runs so that they don’t have to bat in the second innings,” he stated.

However, Ishant Sharma feels West Indies are still not out of the contest while also adding that the first session of the second day's play would be crucial for the home team.

“For the West Indies, the first session will be crucial. Even if they are not able to get wickets in the first hour, they should try to stay in the game by curtailing the run rate. India are 80 without loss just now but the hosts will realise that if they give away only about 20 runs or so in the first hour, they could also be in a good position to take wickets after that. From there, they can bank on the pitch to help their spinners,” he concluded.

(India Today Inputs)