India vs West Indies 1st Test: Great opportunity for Jaiswal to mark debut with century, says Ishant Sharma

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Roseau (Dominica), July 13: India fast bowler Ishant Sharma feels debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal has a great opportunity to build on his knock from day and score a century on day 2 of the first Test against West Indies in Roseau, Dominica.

After Ravichandran Ashwin's five-wicket haul bundled out West Indies for 150, Jaiswal (40 not out off 73 balls) and skipper Rohit Sharma (30 not out off 65 balls) shared an unbeaten stand of 80 before the close of play on day at the Windson Park.

Looking ahead at Day 2's proceedings, Ishant, who made his debut as an expert for JioCinema, believes the openers have the luxury of taking their time to score the remaining 70 runs and will look to be cautious in the first hour of play.

"Rohit and Jaiswal will look to be guarded in their approach in the first hour. They will say to themselves that it's ok even if we don't score runs, because we already have a strong base. They will try to score the remaining 70 runs by taking their time because there's still a lot of time in this game," Ishant said.

Speaking about Yashasvi, who is playing his maiden Test, Ishant said: "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."

Before Jaiswal and Rohit's outing with the bat, off-spinner R Ashwin was at his mesmerizing best as India seized control on the opening day itself. Ashwin returned with figures of 5/60 in 24.3 overs, and also reached his 700th international wicket when he got rid of Alzarri Joseph.

The visitors showed splendid discipline in the field and never allowed the hosts to settle down. Debutant Alick Athanaze was their chief contributor with the bat for the West Indies, scoring 47 before he was caught by Shardul Thakur off Ashwin.

As was seen on Wednesday (July 12), the wicket has been helpful to spinners. And Ishant feels the wicket will turn even more as the game and days progress and feels India will aim for an inning victory by taking a big lead.

"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," added Ishant.

While the hosts have had poor start on the back of a dismal World Cup qualifier, Ishant believes the West Indies can still fight back if they are focussed especially in the first hour of play, which could be crucial for both teams.

"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," Ishant said.

"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."