India’s cricket team made a bold strategic move on day three of their Test match against West Indies at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, enforcing the follow-on after dismissing the visitors for just 248 runs in their first innings.
Despite this aggressive declaration, West Indies responded with resilience. Openers John Campbell and Shai Hope forged a formidable partnership, both scoring unbeaten half-centuries, to significantly reduce the deficit. At stumps on day three, West Indies stood at 173/2 in their second innings, with Campbell on 87 and Hope on 66 not out, showcasing a determined fightback after India’s commanding first innings total of 518/5.
India’s assistant coach, Ryan Ten Doeschate, shed light on the team’s decision-making process, confirming that batting again was indeed a consideration before enforcing the follow-on. “We had a discussion about batting,” Doeschate stated. “Those final two wickets took longer than anticipated, which leaned us towards batting again. However, we ultimately felt that a 270-run lead was substantial enough. We also believed the pitch would continue to degrade, becoming most challenging by the end of play. Interestingly, it seemed to slow down even further.”
Doeschate was particularly effusive in his praise for spinner Kuldeep Yadav, whose four-wicket haul was pivotal. “Kuldeep is a mystery spinner, and that inherently brings an element of danger for batsmen compared to traditional finger-spinners,” Doeschate explained. “He’s incredibly tough to read. Today, Kuldeep delivered exactly where he needed to, consistently spinning the ball both ways, making life very difficult for the West Indies batsmen.”
The assistant coach also took a moment to commend the leadership of captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Ravindra Jadeja. “Shubman’s captaincy is progressing beautifully,” Doeschate observed. “He truly shone during a challenging tour of England and has continued to develop, now communicating more effectively with the players. As for Jadeja, while he’s reaching an age where some might start looking past him, he consistently demonstrates his immense value to the team.”
West Indies all-rounder Khary Pierre admitted his surprise at India’s decision to enforce the follow-on. “I was definitely surprised,” Pierre stated. “But it’s India, and you understand they’re pushing for the win, likely believing they didn’t need to bat again. So be it. Our task now is to bat intelligently in this innings and try to turn the game around.”
Despite the setback, Pierre remained confident in his team’s prospects. “I believe the Test match is still very much alive,” he asserted. “With two settled batsmen ready to resume tomorrow, if we apply ourselves correctly with the bat and manage to build a lead, we know that on days four and five of a Test, the bowlers will find assistance from the pitch, making it a compelling contest.”
Reflecting on the earlier proceedings, West Indies had started day three at 140/4. Kuldeep Yadav quickly made an impact, breaking a 49-run fifth-wicket stand by dismissing Shai Hope for 36. Contributions from Khary Pierre (23) and an unbeaten 24 from Anderson Phillip weren’t enough to prevent India’s spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav (5/82) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/46) from wrapping up the West Indies first innings for 248.
On day one, after winning the toss and electing to bat, India’s innings was spearheaded by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who shared an opening partnership of 58 with KL Rahul (38) before Rahul fell to Jomel Warrican. Jaiswal then built significant partnerships with Sai Sudharsan (87) and an impressive Shubman Gill (129 not out), eventually being run out after a brilliant 175. Gill continued to dominate, collaborating with Nitish Reddy (43) and Dhruv Jurel (44 not out) before India declared at a commanding 518/5. Jomel Warrican was the pick of the West Indies bowlers, taking 3/98. West Indies’ first innings had seen earlier resistance from Tagenarine Chanderpaul (34) and Alick Athaneze (41) before they ended day two on 140/4.