'They Said No One Will Watch Test Cricket Without Virat Kohli': Fans Stunned At Seeing Ahmedabad Stadium Empty On Day 1 Of IND vs WI 1st Test

Fans on social media have been left stunned over the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for day 1 of the first Test against the West Indies. A section of fans felt the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have brought upon low crowds as only 30% of seats were filled at the venue.

Kohli and Rohit announced their retirements from red-ball cricket in May 2025, having struggled in the Australia tour earlier this year. Despite India's stellar show in England without the prolific duo, there is seemingly less interest among the fans, given the crowd hasn't turned up as expected. Nevertheless, a few fans have also attributed it to the West Indian team playing, considering their struggles in the Test arena over the years.

Watch some of the reactions:

Team India on top as West Indies lose seven wickets after winning the toss and opting to bat

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill's record of losing the toss extended, having lost all five of them during the five-Test tour of England. The coin toss fell in favour of Roston Chase, who opted to bat first on a greenish track in Ahmedabad. The tourists have lost seven wickets now, including five in the first session on Day 1.

Team India playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

West Indies playing XI: Tagenarine Chanderpaul, John Campbell, Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Shai Hope (wk), Roston Chase (c), Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre, Johann Layne, Jayden Seales.

The West Indies are coming off a 3-0 series sweep at the hands of Australia that ended with the hosts getting skittled for 27 at the Sabina Park in Jamaica. This is also the first home Test for Gill as captain.