NEW DELHI: The West Indies did not lose a wicket after tea to be 173-2 in their second innings at the end of day three of the second Test on Sunday after following on, but still need 97 runs to make India bat again.
India’s Kuldeep Yadav earlier took five wickets at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium as the hosts bowled out the West Indies for 248 in their first innings after lunch, a deficit of 270.
Captain Shubman Gill enforced the follow-on and the visitors lost two wickets before tea.
But opener John Campbell then reached 87 not out and Shai Hope was unbeaten on 66 as the pair put together an unbroken 138-run stand.
“It may be a good thing to be challenged,” said India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, who defended India’s decision to enforce the follow-on. “Getting probably 130 overs in already, that’s a good test in the legs. We’re going to get sturdier Tests in the future where you do have to field for a day-and-a-half,” he told reporters.
The gutsy batting of left-handed Campbell and Hope allowed them to build the highest partnership for the West Indies for any wicket in Tests this year.
Campbell became the first West Indian to reach fifty in the two-match series with a four off Kuldeep.
He survived a couple of close lbw calls against off-spinner Washington Sundar early in his innings but went on to dominate the bowling.
Hope reached his fifty off Ravindra Jadeja and raised his bat to an applauding dressing room.
“This is the first time we have been able to win a session in the two Tests. It’s all about application,” West Indies spinner Khary Pierre told reporters. “The wicket is going to deteriorate more so the more runs we could pile on, it could be a challenge for the Indian batsmen,” he said.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul was the first to fall in the second innings, for 10 to a diving Gill catch off Mohammed Siraj, before Sundar bowled Alick Athanaze for seven on the stroke of tea.
The West Indies began day three at 140-4 in their first innings in response to India’s 518-5 declared.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep struck within 30 minutes, bowling Hope for 36.
Kuldeep then had Tevin Imlach given out lbw for 21, a review of the decision showing the ball would have hit leg stump.
Justin Greaves also fell lbw to Kuldeep for 17 and the West Indies were in deep trouble at 175-8 when Jomel Warrican was bowled by Siraj for one.
Pierre and Anderson Phillip, who hit 24 not out, put on a stubborn stand of 46 to steer their team to lunch.
Jasprit Bumrah bowled Pierre for 23 straight after the break before Kuldeep finally trapped Jayden Seales lbw for 13 for his fifth five-wicket haul in 15 Tests.
Seales was fined 25 percent of his match fee by the International Cricket Council on Sunday for showing unnecessary aggression on Friday’s first day.
India won the first Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 140 runs.
Scoreboard
INDIA (1st Innings) 518-5 (Y. Jaiswal 175, S. Gill 129 not out; J, Warrican 3-98)
WEST INDIES (1st Innings):
J. Campbell c Sudharsan b Jadeja10
T. Chanderpaul c Rahul b Jadeja34
A. Athanaze c Jadeja b Yadav41
S. Hope b Yadav36
R. Chase c&b Jadeja0
T. Imlach lbw Yadav21
J. Greaves lbw Yadav17
K. Pierre b Bumrah23
J. Warrican b Siraj1
A. Phillip not out24
J. Seales lbw Yadav13
EXTRAS (B-5, LB-18, NB-5)28
TOTAL (all out, 81.5 overs)248
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-21 (Campbell), 2-87 (Chanderpaul), 3-106 (Athanaze), 4-107 (Chase), 5-156 (Hope), 6-163 (Imlach), 7-174 (Greaves), 8-175 (Warrican), 9-221 (Pierre)
BOWLING: Bumrah 14-4-40-1, Siraj 9-2-16-1, Jadeja 19-5-46-3 (4nb), Yadav 26.5-4-82-5 (1nb), Sundar 13-2-41-0
WEST INDIES (2nd Innings):
J. Campbell not out87
T. Chanderpaul c Gill b Siraj10
A. Athanaze b Sundar7
S. Hope not out66
EXTRAS (B-2, NB-1)3
TOTAL (for two wickets, 49 overs)173
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-17 (Chanderpaul), 2-35 (Athanaze)
STILL TO BAT: T. Imlach, R. Chase, J. Greaves, K. Pierre, A. Phillip, J. Seales, J. Warrican
BOWLING: Siraj 6-2-10-1, Jadeja 14-3-52-0 (1nb), Sundar 13-3-44-1, Yadav 11-0-53-0, Bumrah 4-2-9-0, Jaiswal 1-0-3-0
Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2025
