<p>New Delhi: It took a little longer than expected but India eventually completed a dominant seven-wicket win over a fighting West Indies in the second Test here on Tuesday, predictably wrapping up a 2-0 series triumph where they checked most of the boxes that augur well ahead of the tougher South Africa assignment next month.</p><p>Resuming at 63 for one in pursuit of an extremely modest target of 121 on the final morning at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, it was just a matter of when rather than if. </p>.India vs West Indies: Visitors fight back, but India stay on top.<p>And that moment arrived exactly an hour into the day’s play when KL Rahul (58 not out) comfortably punched Jomel Warrican for a boundary through the mid-on region to hand Shubman Gill his maiden series win as skipper that also extended India’s stranglehold over the West Indies. </p><p>Having not lost a Test against the erstwhile powerhouses of cricket since 2002, this series, with no disrespect to the West Indies, was considered the perfect opportunity for guys like Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy who couldn’t flourish in the preceding five-Test series in England to hit their straps. For someone like Kuldeep Yadav, who didn’t feature in a single game at Old Blighty for no fault of his, it was the right stage to show what a priceless asset he is. </p><p>Kuldeep, one of the star performers in a triumphant Asia Cup T20 tournament prior to this series, showed across the two matches why he’s one of the best spinners in the world and deserves to be in the playing XI irrespective of what the conditions are. The left-arm wrist-spinner, an extremely rare commodity, bagged four wickets in the first Test before bamboozling the West Indies in the first innings of the second Test with a 5/82 — his fifth five-wicket haul in just his 15th Test. Three more scalps in the second bagged him the Player of the Match award; his turn, bounce, and the natural ability to make the ball talk even on dead surfaces standing out at Kotla.</p><p>Following another failure in the first Test at Ahmedabad, pressure was mounting on Sudharsan and the talented 23-year-old southpaw silenced the critics with a timely 87 in the first innings. A century would have been the perfect statement, but this knock will give him a much-needed confidence boost. Good hits in the Ranji Trophy or even in the games against South Africa A would be ideal preparation ahead of the Proteas challenge.</p><p>Batters KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill all got centuries this series, extending their good run from England. Rahul also exhibited his leadership qualities when his pep talk to the team during the first drinks break on the fourth morning had an effect in Ravindra Jadeja dismissing centurion John Campbell. It was not the first time Rahul has done that with the senior player often seen advising youngsters in ‘nets’ too. Given Gill is just cutting his teeth as captain, it’s wonderful to see Rahul share the load.</p><p>Jadeja extended his purple patch with a Player of the Series performance. The 36-year-old all-rounder, named the vice-captain after Rishabh Pant failed to recover from his right-foot fracture, was brilliant with the bat, right on the mark with the ball and exceptional on the field. He undoubtedly is the “Most Valuable Player” of this Indian team.</p><p>Another player who made the most of this series was Dhruv Jurel. An understudy to Pant, the busy-looking UP player smacked a maiden Test century in Ahmedabad before making a punchy 44 here. He showed yet again that he’s not just a sidekick but ready to perform the lead role when given an opportunity.</p><p>One trick India missed out on was in underutilisation of Nitish. In the pre-match press conference, Gill spoke about how India lacks a pace-bowling all-rounder and that the management is grooming Nitish for that role. Words were not put into action, though, with Nitish just getting four overs in the first Test and zero in the second. India sent down a total of 200.4 overs in New Delhi, but Nitish not getting a single ball was an extremely bizarre call from Gill. The only solace for Nitish was an innings of batting here, where he scored 43.</p><p>India now pack their bags to Australia for a limited-overs tour comprising three ODIs and five T20Is starting on 19 October.</p>
<p>New Delhi: It took a little longer than expected but India eventually completed a dominant seven-wicket win over a fighting West Indies in the second Test here on Tuesday, predictably wrapping up a 2-0 series triumph where they checked most of the boxes that augur well ahead of the tougher South Africa assignment next month.</p><p>Resuming at 63 for one in pursuit of an extremely modest target of 121 on the final morning at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, it was just a matter of when rather than if. </p>.India vs West Indies: Visitors fight back, but India stay on top.<p>And that moment arrived exactly an hour into the day’s play when KL Rahul (58 not out) comfortably punched Jomel Warrican for a boundary through the mid-on region to hand Shubman Gill his maiden series win as skipper that also extended India’s stranglehold over the West Indies. </p><p>Having not lost a Test against the erstwhile powerhouses of cricket since 2002, this series, with no disrespect to the West Indies, was considered the perfect opportunity for guys like Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy who couldn’t flourish in the preceding five-Test series in England to hit their straps. For someone like Kuldeep Yadav, who didn’t feature in a single game at Old Blighty for no fault of his, it was the right stage to show what a priceless asset he is. </p><p>Kuldeep, one of the star performers in a triumphant Asia Cup T20 tournament prior to this series, showed across the two matches why he’s one of the best spinners in the world and deserves to be in the playing XI irrespective of what the conditions are. The left-arm wrist-spinner, an extremely rare commodity, bagged four wickets in the first Test before bamboozling the West Indies in the first innings of the second Test with a 5/82 — his fifth five-wicket haul in just his 15th Test. Three more scalps in the second bagged him the Player of the Match award; his turn, bounce, and the natural ability to make the ball talk even on dead surfaces standing out at Kotla.</p><p>Following another failure in the first Test at Ahmedabad, pressure was mounting on Sudharsan and the talented 23-year-old southpaw silenced the critics with a timely 87 in the first innings. A century would have been the perfect statement, but this knock will give him a much-needed confidence boost. Good hits in the Ranji Trophy or even in the games against South Africa A would be ideal preparation ahead of the Proteas challenge.</p><p>Batters KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill all got centuries this series, extending their good run from England. Rahul also exhibited his leadership qualities when his pep talk to the team during the first drinks break on the fourth morning had an effect in Ravindra Jadeja dismissing centurion John Campbell. It was not the first time Rahul has done that with the senior player often seen advising youngsters in ‘nets’ too. Given Gill is just cutting his teeth as captain, it’s wonderful to see Rahul share the load.</p><p>Jadeja extended his purple patch with a Player of the Series performance. The 36-year-old all-rounder, named the vice-captain after Rishabh Pant failed to recover from his right-foot fracture, was brilliant with the bat, right on the mark with the ball and exceptional on the field. He undoubtedly is the “Most Valuable Player” of this Indian team.</p><p>Another player who made the most of this series was Dhruv Jurel. An understudy to Pant, the busy-looking UP player smacked a maiden Test century in Ahmedabad before making a punchy 44 here. He showed yet again that he’s not just a sidekick but ready to perform the lead role when given an opportunity.</p><p>One trick India missed out on was in underutilisation of Nitish. In the pre-match press conference, Gill spoke about how India lacks a pace-bowling all-rounder and that the management is grooming Nitish for that role. Words were not put into action, though, with Nitish just getting four overs in the first Test and zero in the second. India sent down a total of 200.4 overs in New Delhi, but Nitish not getting a single ball was an extremely bizarre call from Gill. The only solace for Nitish was an innings of batting here, where he scored 43.</p><p>India now pack their bags to Australia for a limited-overs tour comprising three ODIs and five T20Is starting on 19 October.</p>