West Indies fight from follow-on

New Delhi: For a second successive day, skipper Shubman Gill and the Indian team management took an extremely daring call that many in the past would have refrained from. Despite the bowlers sending down 81.5 overs across two hot days here, the Indians enforced the follow-on, confident that they could send the beleaguered West Indies crashing and burning in quick time again.

Although Indian bowlers were breathing fire, especially left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav who bagged 5/82 that saw the West Indies being bundled out for 248 in the first innings, the decision to ask the visitors to take strike again carried it’s own share of risks. This despite India taking a lead of 270 runs and the West Indies not lasting more than three days in the previous five Tests between the two sides.   

What if the West Indies batters, despite going through an atrocious run this year, put up a fight from nowhere? What if the slow and flat pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium doesn’t really disintegrate as intended and offer help for the spinners? Will fatigue creep into the bowlers? To Gill and the management’s dismay, that’s exactly what happened as John Campbell (87 n.o., 145b) and Shai Hope (66 n.o., 103b) forged a superb 138-run partnership to take the hosts to 173/2 and push the second Test into a fourth day that’s pregnant with possibilities now.  

When the West Indies resumed their second innings around 50 minutes after lunch, India looked on course for a walk in the park. Opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s attempted hook off Mohammed Siraj in the ninth over backfired as Gill completed a superb catch at midwicket while Washington Sundar castled Alick Athanaze right on the stroke of tea to leave the West Indies reeling at 35/2.

The Indians were right on the money right after tea too, with Sundar bowling a beautiful spell where he elicited three leg-before appeals off Campbell. The left-hander, however, survived all of it with the rub of the green going his way twice when India reviewed. It was testing times, but Campbell showed heart and courage that skipper Roston Chase and head coach Daren Sammy had been demanding from the team.

Right then is when Campbell decided to flip the switch after realising pure defence wasn’t going to help much. He switched to T20 mode, constantly pulling off one big shot after another to throw the trio of Indian spinners — Ravindra Jadeja, Sundar and Kuldeep — completely off guard. If they pitched full, he spanked them down the ground or employed the sweep shot — all with brute force. And if it was short, he would rock back and cut them or slap them through covers. 

Campbell’s audacity rubbed off on Hope as well. He wasn’t that aggressive, but whenever the ball was there to be hit, he didn’t miss out on the opportunity. Such was the speed of scoring from the duo, the West Indies motored on at almost six runs an over during the early part of their partnership.

With the pitch offering not much help and the spinners looking lost for ideas, Gill was forced to spread the field. It was the first time in the series the Indians were under the pump. It was exactly what Campbell and Hope wanted, and they showed maturity to further frustrate the hosts. They cut down the high-risk shots, just played good old-fashioned percentage cricket, picking singles and odd boundaries dictated play. They, however, know the job isn’t completely done as India are still ahead of the eight-ball.

Earlier though, Kuldeep yet again showed why he’s one of the best spinners in the world and ready to fit into the shoes vacated by off-spinner R Ashwin. A brilliant first spell of 10-0-27-3 broke the West Indies’ middle order as they slumped to 217/8 at lunch after starting the day at 140/4. West Indies disintegrated after that before rising from the ashes later.