What could have been another tale of India’s Test dominance at home simply turned into a story of a strong fightback from West Indies. The tourists saved their best show for the last leg of the Indian tour, showing rare resilience to stay valid in the second Test. A 138-run unbeaten partnership between John Campbell and Shai Hope tested India and took the ongoing 2nd Test in Delhi into its 4th day.
Third day of a Test, a deteriorating Kotla track and a spinner (read Kuldeep Yadav) breaking the back of opponent (read West Indies) batting line-up — typical subcontinental stuff, isn’t it? Kuldeep’s demolition act left the visitors numb and forcing them to follow on in a Test match for the first time since the Wellington Test of 2020.
The big black
footmarks on the South End allowed India to go for the kill in West Indies’ first innings. And who could have formulated it better than Kuldeep. Since opening the attack at 9:30 AM sharp, the left-arm wrist-spinner bowled 10 overs straight and picked up three wickets in the first hour of the morning session.
The first wicket of the day was an absolute ripper from Kuldeep. Tossed up and full, drifting away from the batter and ramming into the off stump. West Indies began losing hope after Hope played the wrong line. In his next over, Kuldeep trapped Tevin Imlach with a length ball spinning in.
Kuldeep’s third victim was Justin Greaves who looked to reverse sweep the legbreak. The batter missed and was trapped plumb in front. The sudden collapse drew a stunned reaction from former Caribbean pacer Ian Bishop, who exclaimed on commentary, ‘Goodness me!’.
However, Kuldeep had to wait quite long to bag his fifth five-wicket haul, 10 overs in a row from the same end seemingly left the tweaker frustrated to a point where he hit the wrong length, only to be punished by Anderson Phillip for a boundary. Shubman Gill, the captain, sensed it, saying, “Jagah se daal [Bowl from the right place],” before resting Kuldeep till the lunch break.
And not just Kuldeep, the frustration crept into the entire Indian camp. A 45-run stand for the ninth wicket tested India’s patience but Jasprit Bumrah struck right after lunch with a 140 kph reverse swing to knock off Pierre’s off stump. On the other hand, Phillip and Jayden Seales occupying the crease for another 54 deliveries forced Kuldeep to work harder.
Toiling for five more overs after lunch, Kuldeep found his fifth victim in Seales to become the left-arm wrist spinner with the joint-most fifers in Tests, matching former England cricketer Johnny Wardle’s tally. Kuldeep returned 5/82 as India enforced follow-on after limiting West Indies to 248.
Campbell Inspires Fightback
West Indies walked out again to bat on Sunday hoping to erase a deficit of 270 – 22 more than what they managed in their first dig – and make India bat again. Given how Windies batters fared so far on the tour, the task to avoid an innings defeat was daunting, if not impossible. Eighth over into the second innings, and Tagenarine Chanderpaul returned to the hut as Gill picked up a sensational diving catch towards mid-on. Soon, Alick Athanaze followed him after getting knocked over by Washington Sundar. The scoreboard read 45/2, hinting at a third day finish to the Test match.
However, led by John Campbell and Shai Hope, West Indies finally showed some grit.
By the final session, India’s decision to bowl again started biting them back. Campbell, who scored 8, 14 and 10 in last three innings, appeared to be orchestrating India’s fielding. He toyed with the spinners who were breathing fire just a few hours ago. Be it Jadeja, Sundar or Kuldeep — Campbell spared none, especially his two maximums — one each to the left-handed Indian spinners — brought the crowd to its feet.
Legends Brian Lara and Vivian Richards, who at Kotla on Day 2, were seen expressing their disappointment over captain Roston Chase’s dismissal, would have been pleased to see Campbell raise his bat for his first Test fifty since 2022.
Hope Restored
A confident Campbell also inspired his batting partner, Shai Hope, who soon found his own rhythm. An innings that began cautiously turned lethal with a cracking six off Sundar over midwicket in the 17th over. Boundaries against Kuldeep and Bumrah fueled Hope’s confidence, powering him to his 6th Test fifty – his first in 31 innings.
Patience was the key to succeed on this track, which West Indies have lacked for a major part of the tour. Hope, who has represented Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, seemed to benefit from his knowledge of the Kotla surface. A square drive off Bumrah’s fuller delivery with an open face of the bat was certainly the shot of his innings so far.
Questions On India Enforcing Follow-On
Kuldeep, back from a record-equalling fifer before tea, was left biting the dust. He gave away 53 runs in 11 overs without a wicket in the second innings. Jadeja and Bumrah also endured a similar fate. The veteran all-rounder bowled 14 wicketless overs leaking 52 runs while the pacer conceded 9 runs in 4 overs without any success either.
Asking the bowlers to have a go again after already bowling 80 overs and risking a fourth innings chase on a pitch where cracks open up and spinners take control – the move didn’t add up. It may have been meant to show aggression or maybe dominance, but from a strategic point of view, it was puzzling.
