India first subjected West Indies to the ignominy of follow-on and then crushed them inside three days to record their biggest victory - by an innings and 272 runs - in the first match of the two-Test series in Rajkot on Saturday.
Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav registered his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket as West Indies succumbed to the guile of India's spin trio, who shared the 10 second innings wickets among themselves.
India's comprehensive win, which bettered their victory by an innings and 262 runs over newcomers Afghanistan in Bengaluru earlier this year, put them 1-0 up ahead of the second test in Hyderabad from Friday.
Teenaged India opener Prithvi Shaw was adjudged man-of-the-match for his century on his Test debut that helped India post a mammoth 9-649 declared in their first innings.
The spectre of the follow-on loomed large when West Indies resumed day three on a precarious 6-94.
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Overnight batsmen Roston Chase and Keemo Paul, who made 47, collaborated for 73 runs in the visitors only significant partnership in the first innings.
Chase brought up his half century with a glorious straight driven boundary before Ravichandran Ashwin hastened their collapse.
The off-spinner dismissed Chase, who made 53, and Sherman Lewis in the same over and then had Shannon Gabriel stumped for one as West Indies failed to get anywhere near the follow-on mark.
Asked to follow on, the tourists did hardly any better in their second innings as Kuldeep, Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin laid bare their frailties against spin.
Ashwin removed captain Kraigg Brathwaite for 10 for an early breakthrough and Kuldeep then hollowed out the West Indies top and middle order.
The left-arm wrist spinner trapped Shai Hope lbw before dismissing the reckless Shimron Hetmyer and the scoreless Sunil Ambris in the same over to put the tourists on the mat.
Kieron Powell made a counter-attacking 83, a forlorn act of defiance featuring four sixes.
