A century on debut by Rohit Sharma has helped put India in the driver’s seat in the first Test against West Indies at Kolkata.

Sharma came to the crease with India struggling at 4 for 82 and having just lost master batsman Sachin Tendulkar (10), who is playing his penultimate and 199th Test.

Virat Kohli (3) was dismissed one run later to have the Indians in real trouble before Sharma (127 not out) and MS Dhoni (42) steadied the ship.

The pair put on 73 for the sixth wicket before Dhoni’s dismissal, which brought Ravichandran Ashwin to the crease.

Ashwin and Sharma then combined for a 198-run unbeaten seventh-wicket stand, with Ashwin (92 not out) closing in on a century of his own at stumps.

India finished the day 6 for 354, a lead of 120 runs over the West Indies who were dismissed for 234 in their first innings.