India vs West Indies 1st Test Day 1: Ajinkya Rahane fell in the final session in Rajkot. (Source: AP)
India vs West Indies 1st Test Day 1 Highlights: Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant took India to 364/4 at stumps on Day 1 of first Test against West Indies. Kohli is once again on course to a big score having piled on a fifty already. The day, however, belonged to 18-year-old Prithvi Shaw who scored 134 runs on his debut and gave West Indies little respite. He played confidently, positively and scored freely to put together 206 runs alongside Cheteshwar Pujara. India lost Ajinkya Rahane in the final session but the day belonged to India with utter ease. India had won the toss and opted to bat.
West Indies players during a practice session ahead of the first Test. (Source: PTI)
STUMPS! India are 364/4 at close on Day 1. 132 runs in the final session with Ajinkya Rahane the lone wicket to fall
Short by Shannon Gabriel, Virat Kohli rocks on the backfoot and glides the ball towards third man for two runs. It brings up the 350 for India in the 87th over
Ajinkya Rahane c Dowrich b Royston Chase 41. Ajinkya Rahane takes the review for a caught behind but it comes in West Indies' favour. Consulted with the captain before going upstairs. Spike on the UltraEdge decides his fate. India lose the review and wicket. India 337/4
Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite in the attack and his line is all wrong. On the pads and Kohli plays it down to the fine leg fence with a faint tickle.
India's skipper keeps on piling up runs. Number 1 ranked Test batsman and there's a reason for that. Touch short outside off by Bishoo, Kohli rocks back and cuts it past the fielder at backward point. The fielder in the deep restricts them to a double. Kohli's 20th Test fifty
After the flurry of runs seen in the opening two sessions under Prithvi Shaw, things have slowed down considerably in the final session. Virat Kohli on 31, Ajinkya Rahane on 15 as India move along to 276/3
Captain and vice-captain get the final session on the opening day underway. Virat Kohli on strike and he gets things going with a boundary.
India go into the Tea break at 232/3, India score 99 runs in the session but lose their two well set batsmen as well.
Prithvi Shaw c & b Bisho 134 (154). Poor shot in the end sees the exit of debutant and centurion Prithvi Shaw. Hands a simple catch back to Bishoo who happily takes it. Stands there looking at the surface and then back at the bowler. Accepts his fate eventually and walks. Conventional leg-break from Bishoo that might have stopped on the surface, but Shaw still had to counter it properly, instead he lobs it back with feet stuck in the crease. Tired looking shot in the end. Crowd applaud his fantastic job on debut.
That kind of day where even bad shots go for boundaries for Prithvi Shaw. Flighted outside off by Chase, Shaw gets low and flat-bats the drive but ends up slicing it over extra cover and the ball has enough to trickle into the fence
GONE! Cheteshwar Pujara falls short of the century mark by 14 runs. Just after the 200-run stand between himself and Shaw, Pujara falls to Sherman Lewis. Maiden Test wicket for Lewis. Outside the off stump, Pujara has a little go at it and gets an outside edge. Taken by Dowrich behind the stumps. Almost a nothing and a needless shot and Pujara pays for it.
WHAT. A. SHOT! Sherman Lewis with a touch outside off, Prithvi bends his knees and opens the face of the bat late to steer the ball towards the third man boundary. Beautiful connection with the bat
Virat Kohli opted to bat because of the heat and dry weather in Rajkot. The energy sapping weather has Keemo Paul down. Getting some much needed fluid into the system
CENTURY FOR PRITHVI SHAW FROM 99 BALLS! Pushes the ball for a double and becomes 15th Indian to get a hundred on debut. What a glorious inning this has been! Maiden Test hundred on Test debut for the teenager! Third fastest Test hundred on debut, second youngest Indian to score a Test hundred after Sachin Tendulkar
Width on offer by Shannon Gabriel and Prithvi Shaw spanks it for a boundary. Moves up to 97 from 95 balls
Prithvi Shaw moves into the 90s with a boundary. No surprise there. Short by Bishoo, Shaw gets low and pulls it away to backward square leg for four
Devendra Bishoo to get the second session underway. Prithvi Shaw on the batting end. Second ball and Shaw plays a slog sweep to bring up a boundary. Doesn't take long to once again but the bowler on the defence. Next ball, another four, this time confident and lofted over for a boundary
LUNCH! India go into the Lunch break at 133/1 from 25 overs. Prithvi Shaw unbeaten on 75, Cheteshwar Pujara on 56
Possibly first unsure shot by Prithvi Shaw and still goes for a boundary. West Indies fielders and bowler Sherman Lewis can't believe it. Banged in short, comes into the debutant, tries to slash but with little width on offer, gets a thick outside edge that splits the slips region to run away for a four towards third man
Cheteshwar Pujara brings up his 19th Test fifty now. Gets there with a boundary from 67 balls. Pitched up by Sherman Lewis and Pujara plays it down the ground for a boundary towards long off.
Prithvi Shaw brought up India's 50 with a boundary and he gets the 100, too, with a boundary. Back-to-back boundaries to Roston Chase. Tossed up delivery played throughh covers with ease
Youngest openers to score 50 on Test debut:17yrs 302d - Hanif Mohammad (1952)
18yrs 105d - J Stollmeyer (1939)
18yrs 290d - Tamim Iqbal (2008)
18yrs 294d - Imran Farhat (2001)
18yrs 329d - PRITHVI SHAW (2018)
Prithvi Shaw with 50 runs from 56 balls. Half century on debut. Gets in position early for a full delivery off Roston Chase and plays it towards long on to collect a single. Indian team applauds in the pavillion. Virat Kohli all smiles
Prithvi Shaw brings up India's 50 in the 11th over. Flighted delivery outside off by Bishoo, kept it full and allows Shaw to relax his arms. Lofts it over mid-off and it jumps near the boundary to only be a four. Also brings up the fifty run stand
Cheteshwar Pujara in the flow of things now. Three boundaries in four balls for Pujara. All three off debutant Sherman Lewis across two overs. India settling in after that early jolt
Interesting point by Aakash Chopra. He reckons Prithvi Shaw has the free flowing nature similar to what Virender Sehwag showed off.
Kemar Roach is missing the opening Test after the passing of his grandmother. His teammates wearing black armbands in support.
Ajinkya Rahane had suggested Prithvi Shaw not curtail his attacking style and it looks like the youngster has listened. Being helped by Keemo Paul too. The West Indies seamer offering plenty of width on some instances and then straying on pads as well. Playing it into Shaw's hands. Three fours in the fourth over and Shaw is off to 22 from 16.
Prithvi Shaw's first boundary in Test cricket now. Width offered by Keemo Paul and Shaw makes merry. Bowled in short, Shaw confident inside the crease and punches it through cover for a boundary
KL Rahul has been given out lbw. Consults Shaw and they go upstairs in the first over. Looks plumb. Not a no ball, no edge involved, red on all three. Pitching in line and going on to hit the middle. KL Rahul departs for a duck
Prithvi Shaw off the mark in Test cricket with three runs. Confident backfoot punch on the off ide and it goes running. Saved just in time to prevent a boundary.
After the national anthems, players are ready for the start of the series. Prithvi Shaw and KL Rahul come out to open for India. Shannon Gabriel has the new ball.
India Playing XI: Lokesh Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav
West Indies Playing XI: Kraigg Brathwaite(c), Kieran Powell, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Sunil Ambris, Shane Dowrich(w), Keemo Paul, Devendra Bishoo, Sherman Lewis, Shannon Gabriel
Virat Kohli: We are gonna have bat first. Looks a good wicket to bat on. There's a bit of grass that holds up the surface. It's very warm and humid here so the best time to bat will be first. We are playing three spinners. Kuldeep is playing and Shardul misses. Umesh and Shami start for us. Shaw is making his debut, it's a big day for him. We need to focus on our lower order contribution, something we have spoken about. See what Shaw can do at the top. It's all about giving them this particular phase. Give them some confidence before the start of the series against Australia.
Kraigg Brathwaite: I would have had a bat first as well. Using the new ball is the key for us. Got to be aggressive and enjoy the game. Holder is not playing. Lewis to make his debut today. I think the guys are looking forward to this.
Virat Kohli wins the toss and India will bat first. He confirms that India will play three spinners and no debut for Shardul Thakur. Debut already confirmed for Prithvi Shaw.
It was all West Indies when it came to facing India for most part of the cricketing history between these two. The tide turned in the 2000s. Last time West Indies beat India was in 2002 and last win in India was in 1984! [Detailed history]
Virat Kohli on Wednesday: "Apart from the top order getting cemented, I don't think that with these two Test matches there is a lot that we are looking at, rest of the team looks quite settled, it's just that at the top of the order, these guys are new and will take a bit of time to get into it. They definitely have the skill-set and supremely talented and what we have seen of them is very very exciting."
Jason Holder on West Indies' batting abilities: "We've got people like Kraigg Brathwaite who has been there for a long time and has had some success as well, these are the guys who will be looking to carry the batting forward. Guys like Roston and Shai probably haven't had a great period in the last couple of months and will be looking to turn things around and lean on guys like Kraigg, myself, Shane has been good too."
Scenes outside Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot with many in queues to get inside.
Prithvi Shaw to debut in Rajkot. That and many other talking points from India's opening Test against West Indies in our preview
Hello and Good Morning! Welcome to our live coverage of the West Indies tour to India. It starts here in Rajkot with the opening Test. Ahead of the Australia series Down Under, this is a weak preparation keeping India's losses against South Africa and England into consideration. Most of all, it is the top order that needs fixing. In terms of personnel, there is Murali Vijay or Shikhar Dhawan with Prithvi Shaw set to debut. Also rested are Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya.