NEW DELHI: Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah combined brilliantly to skittle West Indies for just 162, setting the tone for India's dominant opening day of the first Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday. KL Rahul, in fine form, countered with a measured half-century as the hosts reached 121/2 at stumps, still 41 runs behind.

Siraj (4/40) and Bumrah (3/42) spearheaded India's bowling assault on a day briefly interrupted by rain. Rahul, the first to reach fifty in the series, was unbeaten on 53 off 114 balls, laced with six boundaries, while captain Shubman Gill supported him with 18 from 42 deliveries, including a four.

India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal for 36 after his 68-run opening stand with Rahul, and B Sai Sudharsan fell cheaply for 7, but the hosts largely controlled proceedings on a commanding opening day of this two-Test series.

For a batter with almost every shot in his arsenal, Jaiswal began his innings with remarkable patience, taking 37 deliveries to find his first boundary. Once he got going, however, he unleashed a flurry of six boundaries over the next 16 balls. From a cautious 4 off 36, he raced to 36 off 54 balls, dominating both sides of the wicket.

But his aggressive approach eventually cost him. Attempting one shot too many, Jaiswal edged a cut close to his body, and Shai Hope behind the stumps took the catch off Jayden Seales.

If Jaiswal failed to convert his start, No.3 Sudharsan (7) could not even spend enough time to give himself a chance.

Unscathed from a mix-up between the wickets with Rahul after he failed to respond to a second run while being inattentive to his partner in the 24th over, Sudharsan fell to West Indies skipper Roston Chase in the next.

Sudharsan went for a pull shot against the off-spinner while misjudging the length of the ball, which pitched in line of the stumps and hit him on the back leg.

Sudharsan was bent awkwardly playing the shot when he missed the connection completely, and walked off without contemplating a review.

Rahul, on the other hand, came out on top after some initial struggles with the new ball.

With plenty of time in hand and India not in a hurry to impose the inevitable, he paced his innings to hold one end strongly.

The surface seemed more responsive to the new ball as West Indies pacer Jayden Seales troubled the Indian openers, beating the outside edge and even the batters' trust on the bounce, which he generated a tad more.

But from the other end, debutant Johann Layne took his time settling in as some of his initial deliveries were sprayed down the leg side.

Earlier, it was one-way traffic all the way through from the Indian bowlers who were once again admirably led by Siraj as they shot out the West Indies for 162 after the visitors opted to bat.

Siraj couldn't complete a much-deserved five-for but caused consistent trouble for the Caribbean batters.

Siraj produced the ball of the innings after lunch when he angled one into the right-handed Chase (24), who was squared up and an outside edge was collected by the wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel.

Siraj took three wickets upfront in a lethal seven-over spell in the first session and added one more post lunch, but came close twice to complete his fifer which was not meant to be.

Pace spearhead Bumrah also found his rhythm with the red ball, nailing a couple of yorkers to return 14-3-42-3.

Kuldeep Yadav (2/25), who had produced a jaffa to dismiss Hope earlier in the morning session, took the final wicket of the innings when he got Jomel Warrican (8) caught behind reverse-sweeping.

Washington Sundar, the last of India bowlers to have been introduced into the attack, returned figures of 1/9.

Justin Greaves top-scored with 32, Chase made 24 and Hope scored 26 but overall the Caribbean batters cut a sorry figure on a day one wicket.

(With PTI Inputs)