India on verge of wrapping up Test series even as WI’s centurions Shai Hope and John Campbell put up a spirited 177-run stand to try and delay the inevitable; hosts need 58 runs to win on Day Five
West Indies’s Shai Hope celebrates his century against India on Monday
On a typically spirit-shattering Delhi surface that had neither pace nor bounce or carry, and which defied expectations of wear and tear, India’s bowlers were forced to dig deep in their quest for wickets, and World Test Championship points. Their task wasn’t made easier by the spunk and resilience showcased by West Indies’s batters with John Campbell and Shai Hope leading the way, but in the end, their class and experience stood out at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on a challenging Monday.
Playing his 25th game, the left-handed Campbell brought up his maiden century while Hope, who made twin hundreds against England in Leeds in August 2017, added a third ton more than eight years later on Day Four of the second Test. Their mammoth 177-run alliance for the third wicket was the spark on which the visitors, trailing by 270 in the first innings, rode to breach 300 for the first time in 16 innings. When Jasprit Bumrah finally ended a niggling last-wicket stand of 79 by having Jayden Seales caught on the mid-wicket fence, West Indies’s tally read an impressive 390, necessitating India to score 121 to complete a series sweep.
Jaiswal goes early
India’s designs of finishing the game with a day to spare were foiled by the second-over dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal, caught at long-on in the second over as he took on left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican. KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan put prudence over bravado to see the side through to 63 without further damage; 58 runs remain between India and another home victory.
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah (second from right) celebrates the wicket of WI’s Anderson Phillip in New Delhi on Monday. Pics/PTI
India have brought up home wins with aplomb and a fair degree of comfort, a case in point being their innings victory in Ahmedabad last Sunday. But this one, as and when it arrives, will have entailed a lot of hard work. The skill sets of their five-strong bowling attack were negated by the docile nature of the black-soil strip that made cricket attritional rather than entertaining. To their credit, West Indies made the most of the conditions, Campbell and Hope bringing up deserved hundreds.
Overnight 173-2, West Indies’s resistance went well past the hour mark when Campbell attempted a reverse sweep to give Ravindra Jadeja his only success, in his 22nd over. Roston Chase, the captain, struck a big six and unfurled a reverse sweep as 59 came for the fourth wicket. Mohammed Siraj then messed up Hope’s stumps off the inside edge, the signal for India to swarm all over their opponents.
Windies collapse
From 271-3, West Indies slumped to 311-9; having waited 105 deliveries for his first wicket when he trapped Kevin Imlach in front, first-innings hero Kuldeep Yadav winkled out Chase and Khary Pierre in no time and Bumrah accounted for Warrican and Anderson Phillip. But Justin Greaves, the tall right-hander, and Seales batted without a semblance of trouble to back up the heroics of Campbell and Hope. They might have only delayed the inevitable, but they have restored some pride, which should delight head coach Daren Sammy no end.
2011
The last time two West Indies batters scored tons in the same innings vs India
Brief scores
India 518-5d & 63-1 (S Sudharsan 30*, KL Rahul 25*) vs WI 248 & 390 (J Campbell 115, S Hope 103, J Greaves 50*, R Chase 40; J Bumrah 3-44, K Yadav 3-104, M Siraj 2-43)
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