India register 10th consecutive Test series win over West Indies, stretch unbeaten streak to 27 matches
India defeated the spirited West Indies side in the second and final Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. It was one of those rare Test matches in India that went into the final day, thanks to the much-needed fight put up by the West Indies in their second innings effort with the bat. However, India were too good in the end and won the match and the series comfortably, by chasing down the 121-run target. With this win, India registered their 10th consecutive series win over the West Indies in the longest format of the game and continued their unbeaten run since 2002. Overall, India have not lost to the West Indies in last 27 Test matches.
As far as the final day's play is concerned, India needed only 58 more runs to win after mustering 63 runs on the fourth day. Overnight batters KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan resumed the proceedings and slowly but surely shifted gears after an overcautious start. The duo added only three runs in the first four overs before Rahul stepped out to Jomel Warrican to smash the first boundary of the day down the ground.
The shot opened up the floodgates and runs started flowing easily after that. However, Sudharsan and Shubman Gill were dismissed by Roston Chase with India only a few runs away from a win. But a win for the hosts was never in doubt as they eventually got over the line with seven wickets in hand. Rahul notched up yet another fifty, continuing his good form with the bat from the England series. With this win, India also sealed the two-match series 2-0, keeping the West Indies winless in the ongoing WTC cycle for five matches now.
What happened in the match?
As far as the match is concerned, India posted a mammoth total on the board after opting to bat first. Yashasvi Jaiswal (175) and Shubman Gill (129*) notched up centuries as the hosts declared their first innings at 518/5. In response, West Indies were folded for just 248 runs on the board. India enforced the follow-on as they still had 270 runs in their kitty.
But little did they know that the Caribbeans would put up an admirable fight in their second essay. After being reduced to 35/2, Shai Hope and John Campbell joined hands and added 177 runs together. Both of them notched up their respective centuries while the lower order of the visitors also frustrated India as they scored 390 runs in their second innings, taking a lead of 120 runs. With this effort, they also made sure that the match went into the fifth day.
However, India's win was never in question with the modest target in sight and they eventually got over the line with seven wickets in hand.
Brief Scores: India 518/5 decl. (Yashasvi Jaiswal 175, Shubman Gill 129*, Sai Sudharsan 87; Jomel Warrican 3-98) & 124/3 (KL Rahul 58*) beat West Indies 248 (Alick Athinaze 41, Shai Hope 36, Tagnarine Chanderpaul 34 ) & 390 (f/o) (John Campbell 113, Shai Hope 103, Justin Greaves 50; Jasprit Bumrah 3-44, Kuldeep Yadav 3-104) by 7 wickets
