The Indian bowling attack faced a tough challenge on an unyielding sub-continental pitch but emerged victorious, positioning the hosts for a 2-0 clean sweep over a determined West Indies on the fourth
day of the second Test on Monday.
India needs another 58 runs on the final day to win the game, having reached 63 for 1 at stumps in pursuit of 121.
Jasprit Bumrah (3/44 in 17.5 overs), Kuldeep Yadav (3/104 in 29 overs), Ravindra Jadeja (1/102 in 33 overs), Mohammed Siraj (2/43 in 15 overs), and Washington Sundar (1/80 in 23 overs) worked hard for more than 118.5 overs in the second innings.
They eventually bowled out the West Indies for 390, setting the home team a target of 121 to chase in the 18 overs remaining on the fourth evening.
KL Rahul (25 not out) and Sai Sudharsan (30 not out) looked comfortable but avoided taking too many risks after Yashasvi Jaiswal (8) was caught in the deep.
This followed Siraj’s decisive strike with the second new ball before Kuldeep Yadav dismantled the lower-middle order, with Indian bowlers finding their rhythm in the post-lunch session on day four.
John Campbell (115 off 199 balls) and Shai Hope (103 off 214 balls) added 177 runs for the third wicket, demonstrating the Caribbean team’s resilience, but the Indian bowling unit’s patience paid off once the second new ball was introduced post lunch.
Jayden Seales (32) and Justin Greaves (50 not out) added 79 for the final wicket, extending the match into day five.
The West Indies’ only consolation from this match were two centuries that forced India to bat again.
It was a dedicated bowling effort as Kuldeep, Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj, and Jadeja all contributed with timely wickets.
The Indian bowling unit can take pride in their performance, having bowled for long periods across two innings in conditions that were challenging for both spin and pace.
The lifeless pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla showed no signs of wear and tear even well into the fourth day.
The balls kept low, which led to the West Indies batters’ downfall, though it was more due to poor shot selection rather than exceptional deliveries.
The monotony of the game was such that even the broadcasters seemed uninterested in analyzing the on-field action and instead focused on the upcoming ODI series against Australia, starting this Sunday.
In the morning, Campbell completed his first-ever Test century in 25 appearances with a slog sweep six off Ravindra Jadeja over cow corner.
With no bite in the track, playing spinners was easy for the batters until Campbell made a poor decision.
On a pitch where most deliveries from left-arm spinners were pitched on leg-middle line, Campbell attempted an ambitious reverse sweep and was ruled leg-before by DRS.
Even Campbell’s dismissal didn’t make much difference as skipper Roston Chase (40) and Hope appeared comfortable during their 51-run partnership for the fourth wicket. It seemed that the West Indies might set a challenging total for the fourth innings.
However, once the new ball was taken after the 80th over, Bumrah and Siraj, despite the docile nature of the pitch, softened up Hope with a few short balls.
(With PTI Inputs)
