Finance
India 318 for 2 (Jaiswal 173*, Sai Sudharsan 87) vs West Indies
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 7th century cemented his place among the best current Test hitters, while B Sai Sudharsan moved closer to fulfilling India’s call for a No. 3 with a near-flawless 87 as they piled on 318 for 2 after captain Shubman Gill won his first toss in seven attempts.
On a typically slow Feroz Shah Kotla ground, the West Indies bowling was disciplined – no extras all day – but not penetrative in the first and final periods; in the middle session, they lost all accuracy as India scored 126 runs without taking a wicket.
Jaiswal responded solely to what was thrown at him. He was cautious for the first hour, then capitalized on some loose bowling before tightening up again as the West Indies got their footing in the final session. At one point, Jaiswal was on 93, and the fast bowlers had served him six half-volley boundaries, four short-ball boundaries, and one off just full enough length. Jaiswal did not attempt to score boundaries against good-length balls.
Jaiswal is currently tied with Graeme Smith for the most centuries by an opener under the age of 24. Only Sachin Tendulkar had more hundreds before turning 24. Of course, for the fifth time out of his seven centuries, Jaiswal went past 150. Only Don Bradman had more scores of 150 or more before turning 24.
Sudharsan, the other 23-year-old, would have been keen to start his count. Chosen to play Test cricket despite having a first-class average of less than 40, he must feel some pressure as the No. 3 in a batting-rich country. He came out to join Jaiswal early after Jomel Warrican spun one past KL Rahul’s bat. Sudharsan accumulated 197 for the second wicket with Jaiswal, played his first wrong shot on 58 and was dropped, and was dismissed after only three incorrect shots in a 165-ball innings: another Warrican delivery that spun alarmingly.
However, these were likely the only threatening deliveries all day. In the absence of that, the West Indies needed to maintain their discipline to put India to the test at a stadium where they had not lost in 38 years. The three seamers delivered plenty in the first hour: 12 overs, 29 runs, and kept the openers honest. However, after the openers figured out the circumstances and the bowling, the runs began to flow more freely.
In only the second over of spin, Rahul lofted Khary Pierre’s left-arm spin over long-on, which was unusual for him. When he attempted to do the same with Warrican, the more experienced left-arm spinner beat him in the air and then spun the ball 8.4 degrees, leaving him stumped for 38 off 54.
Jaiswal, who missed the first match, enjoys hitting sixes more than Rahul, but avoided aerial shots in this innings. With a shove here and a flip there, he rocketed from 10 off 35 to 40 off 78 before lunchtime.
Sudharsan was greeted gently with a full toss on the pads, which he saved for four, but no kindness was demonstrated until the start of the second session. Jayden Seales opened with two short and wide balls, which Jaiswal converted for fours. You would hope Seales wasn’t bowling for the cut shot, which has got Jaiswal out five times in his career, because it is also a shot that is extremely productive for him. In the same over, Seales also bowled a half-volley for four.
Sudharsan joined the party from the opposite end. Roston Chase began the middle session with a delivery similar to the one that had Sudharsan lbw in the first Test, but Sudharsan used the punch rather than the pull for four.
West Indies was all over the place. Almost every over in the first hour after lunch featured a boundary ball. Sudharsan scored his second Test fifty with another full toss outside leg, followed by a half-volley for four. In between, he delivered great blows off the back foot, which would ultimately be his undoing.
Seales completed the session in the same way he began, being cut for four, but returned shortly after tea to bowl a sequence of 4-0-6-0 with the reverse ball. Nine overs at the start of the final session yielded 24 runs, but West Indies required someone to keep the pressure on. However, Pierre soon delivered five easy singles in one over.
Warrican trapped Sudharsan with a 6.4-degree turn against the course of play. However, just like Rahul, the most of the work was done in the air. Sudharsan was caught off guard when he should have been moving forward. Because it turned more than usual, Sudharsan had no time to recover from his length error.
Jaiswal and Gill led India to victory with no additional defeat. Except for Gill’s two aerial sweeps, they remained mostly vigilant. They even made it through a 44-ball span without a boundary, which concluded with a full toss. Before going into stumps, the ever-hungry Jaiswal had another go at the buffet, scoring 17 in overs 87 and 88 to finish on 173 from 253.
Source: ESPN
