India are in the driver's seat in the 2nd Test against West Indies, but a fight back in the second innings from the visitors has put them in a fighting position.
India posted a massive first innings total of 518/5 declared, powered by stellar batting performances. In response, West Indies were bowled out for 248, trailing by 270 runs, which gave India the opportunity to enforce the follow-on.
In their second innings so far, West Indies have shown remarkable resilience and determination with the bat. Opener John Campbell has played a commanding innings of 87* while Shai Hope contributed a solid 66*, forming a crucial unbeaten partnership of 138 runs. This partnership is the highest for West Indies in any Test this year and has helped them reduce
the deficit to 97 runs with just two wickets down.
West Indies' batting approach in this innings has been commendable, showing patience and good application to withstand the pressure of following on against a strong Indian bowling attack. Hope has been the more aggressive of the two, capitalizing on scoring opportunities, while Campbell has displayed a composed and steady innings.
As the 4th Day starts, another spirited batting from the visitors can give them a decent chunk of lead, which may put India under pressure as they may have to chase in the 4th innings. But if India are to bat again and chase a target, this will be an extremely rare occurrence for India.
India on the verge of a Test Rarity in Delhi
The last time India enforced the follow-on and had to bat again in the fourth innings was indeed against England in November 2012 during the 1st Test at Ahmedabad. Hence, if India bat again, they will be forced to do so after almost 13 years.
In that match in 2012, England followed on but made a strong comeback, scoring 406 in their second innings after being bowled out for 191 in the first innings following India's massive first innings total of 521/8 declared. India then had to chase a small target in their second innings (fourth innings of the match) with a few wickets lost. India won by 9 wickets in that match.
Regarding the players in the current India XI (2025), none of them had debuted by November 2012. Ravindra Jadeja, the most experienced player of this current India team, made debut in that same England series but after the Ahmedabad Test. The India Test captain Shubman Gill made his debut in the red ball format in 2020, while the likes of Nitish Reddy (2024), Sai Sudharsan (2025) are relatively new as well. KL Rahul, another experienced campaigner, had his Test debut in 2014 against Australia.
