NEW DELHI: India’s spinners completely took charge in the second Test against West Indies, building on the strong foundation laid by captain Shubman Gill’s fantastic century on Saturday. By the close of play, West Indies found themselves in deep trouble at 140 for 4, still needing a massive 378 runs to match India’s formidable total at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Left-arm spin maestro Ravindra Jadeja was the wrecker-in-chief, bagging three crucial wickets. Despite losing partners, Shai Hope showed some resilience, ending the day on 31, with Tevin Imlach providing support at 14 not out.
Shubman Gill led from the front with exceptional skill, remaining unbeaten on a commanding 129 runs. This century marks his fifth of the year in just eight Test matches, highlighting his growing stature in the team. His impressive knock followed the early dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal for 175 at the start of the second day’s play.
The West Indies’ reply began with a glimmer of hope as Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Alick Athanaze offered brief resistance, scoring 34 and 41 respectively. However, their efforts were short-lived. Jadeja broke the partnership by dismissing Chanderpaul, caught at slip by KL Rahul. Kuldeep Yadav then accounted for Athanaze, before Jadeja struck again in the very next over, sending Roston Chase back to the pavilion for a duck. Hope managed to survive a tight leg-before-wicket appeal, which India opted to review unsuccessfully.
The visitors’ woes continued when John Campbell’s innings ended at just 10 runs, thanks to a truly remarkable catch by Sai Sudharsan at forward short-leg. Sudharsan demonstrated incredible agility, using his helmet, chest, and hands in a desperate but successful attempt to secure the catch while ducking for cover.
Earlier in the day, Gill, who resumed his innings on 20, showcased his brilliant batting prowess, striking 16 fours and two towering sixes en route to his tenth Test century. He brought up his milestone with a comfortable three runs off Khary Pierre’s bowling. Gill also forged a vital 102-run partnership with Dhruv Jurel, who contributed a solid 44 runs. Their rapid scoring after lunch significantly piled pressure on the West Indies bowlers.
The day had opened with an unfortunate run-out for Yashasvi Jaiswal, who could only add two runs to his overnight score of 173 due to a miscommunication with Gill while attempting a quick single. Undeterred, Gill calmly rebuilt the innings, forming another strong partnership of 91 runs with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored 43 before falling to Jomel Warrican.
With this dominant performance, India stands in a commanding position to clinch the two-match series, having already secured an innings victory in the first Test.