Ashwin spins India to one-nil series lead

Ravichandran Ashwin spun a web around the West Indies to give India an emphatic innings-and-92-run victory in the first Test in Antigua.

Ashwin claimed his 17th Test five-wicket haul as the West Indies crumbled from 2-88 to 8-132, before eventually being bowled out for 231 in their second innings.

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After going wicket-less in the first innings, Ashwin was back to his best as he deceived the West Indian batsmen with drift, dip and spin to end with figures of 7-83.

That return, allied with his 113 in India's monster 8-566dec, was enough to see him pip double-century maker Virat Kohli for man-of-the-match honours.

Resuming day four on 1-21, paceman Umesh Yadav gave the visitors the perfect start by having Darren Bravo caught brilliantly in the gully by Ajinkya Rahane from just the fifth ball of the morning.

The enigmatic Marlon Samuels started by crashing three boundaries in his first 11 balls to launch a counter-attack against the Indian seamers.

On 16, he was almost undone by Mohammad Shami's ball that jagged back into him at him from a full length. Caught on the crease, Samuel's look to have got an inner edge to the wicketkeeper, who claimed the catch by diving low and to his left.

But neither umpire was satisfied and nor did they seem to give a 'soft' signal as to whether the ball had been caught cleanly. Several replays were obstructed by Samuel's bat and the inconclusive evidence meant the third umpire ruled in the batsman's favour.

India captain Kohli was fuming and seemed to seek clarification from the umpires during the drinks break.

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The decision rattled the Indians but, typically, brought out the best in Samuels, who unleashed two glorious cover drives in Shami's next over before stepping out to drive Ashwin through the off-side on three instances in five balls.

The calm Rajendra Chandrika proved to be the ideal partner for the flamboyant Samuels as the pair took the score to 2-76 at lunch.

While the first session might have swayed in the West Indies' favour, the second belonged solely to the wizardry of Ashwin.

Assisted by a stiff breeze blowing across the ground, the off-spinner managed to drift the ball away from the right-handers, before spinning it sharply between pad and bad in a classic fashion.

Chandrika was Ashwin's first victim, as he inner-edged one into the gloves of the keeper, attempting an expansive drive away from his body.

Continuing his intriguing battle with Samuels, Ashwin delivered the knockout blow as he produced a gem to knock over the well-set batsman for 50. Bowling from close to the stumps, the ball curved away from Samuels to beat the outside edge and then spun back sharply to hit the off-stump.

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Ashwin had found his groove and the West Indies' batsmen were made to look clueless.

Jermaine Blackwood was lured into a false drive by a dipping off-spinner that the right-hander could only manage to scoop to Kohli at midwicket. 

Next, the spinner – who now has 26 wickets in his past three Tests – removed debutant Roston Chase for eight by getting the ball to dip alarmingly, causing Chase to lunge away from the body and inner-edge one to forward short-leg.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra then trapped Shane Dowrich plumb in front with a slider, before Ashwin once again found a path between the bat and pad, this time of Jason Holder.

In space of 106 deliveries, the hosts had lost six wickets for a mere 44 runs. 

Carlos Brathwaite (51no) and Devendra Bishoo (45) delayed the inevitable with an entertaining 95-run stand, hitting 12 boundaries between them and taking the game into the final session of day four.

Desperate to finish the match, Kohli tossed the ball to Ashwin once again, and his prime spinner came up trumps, bamboozling Bishoo and Shannon Gabriel to take India to a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.