Former India head coach Anil Kumble shared his thoughts on India’s bowling performance against the West Indies in the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. India currently lead the two-match Test series 1-0, with the second encounter also tilting in their favour.
Kumble observed that the Shubman Gill-led side could have executed their plans more effectively, and also credited the West Indies batters for showing resilience and pushing the hosts to bat again. The veteran spinner praised
the West Indies tail-enders for their determined batting, which extended the innings and frustrated the Indian attack.
“The pitch was really docile. One thing India could have done better was to put a little more pressure on the batters. But credit to the West Indian batters as well. I know we’re looking at it from an Indian bowling perspective, but I thought the West Indies batters really applied themselves. I had a brief chat with Daren Sammy, their coach, yesterday morning, and the first thing he said was, ‘I wish our batters could apply themselves more’,” said Kumble on JioHotstar.
“They’ve now shown the coach that they can do it. We saw that yesterday and again today. Even the tail-enders applied themselves really well. I thought the No. 10 and No. 11 batted brilliantly to frustrate the Indian bowlers. Maybe, India could have applied a bit more pressure through field placements to force mistakes,” he added.
Hope is taking the No. 4 role seriously: Kumble
Kumble lauded West Indies wicketkeeper-batter Shai Hope for his exceptional century in the second Test against India. Hope’s knock was particularly special as it marked his first Test hundred in eight years. Kumble commended Hope for the significant improvement in his technique, noting that he appeared far more composed at the crease. He added that Hope’s innings reflected a renewed sense of responsibility, emphasizing that the batter is now taking his role in the West Indies red-ball setup more seriously.
“West Indies went past the follow-on mark and ensured that India had to bat again. I thought Shai Hope was exceptional. We all know his potential. He’s done it consistently in white-ball cricket. He had a great start to his Test career as well. I remember when I was a coach and we toured the West Indies,” said Kumble.
“He played a practice game before the series started, batted brilliantly, got a hundred, and looked the part. Since then, his performances dipped a bit, but to get his first fifty after 31 innings and now a hundred today, he really looked solid. I’m sure he’s now taken that No. 4 role very seriously, and that’s something the West Indies will want to build on moving forward,” he added.
