KINGSTON: Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin tormented the West Indies yet again to claim a second consecutive five-wicket innings haul and dismiss the home side for 196 on the opening day of the second Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Saturday.
Lokesh Rahul then made the most of his inclusion in the final 11 in place of the injured Murali Vijay, reaching an unbeaten 75 as India closed the first day at 126 for one in reply.
Ashwin followed up his haul of seven for 83 in the final innings of the first Test a week earlier with five for 52 on a pitch offering turn and bounce from the very first session of play.
He became just the third Indian bowler to have five-wicket innings hauls in three consecutive Test matches after fellow spinners Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and current coach Anil Kumble.
“Going into any match I assess the batsmen in the opposition to see if I have dismissed them before,” said Ashwin after the day’s play.
“I then work on getting them out based on their strengths and weaknesses. It’s never as easy as it looks sometimes but it’s gone really well for me in the last two innings.”
Having ended the only substantial resistance from the home side when he dismissed Jermaine Blackwood for a run-a-ball 62 in the last over before the lunch interval, Ashwin added swiftly to his tally in the afternoon session, accounting for Marlon Samuels for 37 to a sharp catch at short-leg by Rahul and following up with the wickets of Shane Dowrich, Devendra Bishoo and captain Jason Holder in quick succession.
