Delhi Test: Gill's 129*, bowlers tighten India's grip over WI
What's the story
A record-breaking century from Shubman Gill powered India on the second day of the ongoing second Test against the West Indies in Delhi. His 129*-run knock meant India declared their innings at a massive total of 518 runs for five wickets. In response, WI finished the day at 140/4 with left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja claiming three of the four fallen wickets. Here we look at the Day 2 report.
Match highlights
Gill powers India to mammoth total
India were well placed at 318/2 at the start of the day with Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal resuming the innings. The former's concentration didn't waver even after Jaiswal was run out for 175 at the start of the day. Gill scored a brilliant century and took India to a massive total (518/5) before the declaration came in the second session. Nitish Reddy and Dhruv Jurel chipped in with vital 40s.
Milestone achievement
Gill joins these legends
Gill, who returned unbeaten on 129 off 196 balls, took just 12 innings to score five centuries as India's Test captain. The young opener has also become the second Indian captain after Kohli to score five Test centuries in a single calendar year. Since taking over as captain, Gill has been on a run-scoring spree in Tests. Playing his seventh Test while leading the team, Gill has now raced to 933 runs at 84.81.
WTC
Most runs in WTC history
During his stay, Gill also became India's highest run-getter in WTC history. Playing his 39th match, he has raced to 2,826 runs at 43.47 (100s: 10, 50s: 8). Rishabh Pant (2,731) now trails Gill in terms of WTC runs. Gill, who made his debut in December 2020, has not played a Test outside the WTC era. This was his second 50-plus Test score versus WI as he now owns 224 runs against them at an average of 74.66.
Knocks
Valiant knocks from Reddy, Jurel
Gill was well supported by the likes of Reddy and Jurel, adding 91 and 102 runs with them, respectively. The former batted with great intent and smashed four fours and two sixes en route to his 54-ball 43. Jurel made 44 off 79 balls with the help of five fours as the Indian innings was declared right after his dismissal.
Jaiswal
Jaiswal placed 4th on the list
Starting the day at 173, Jaiswal could only add two runs to his total before getting run out. His stellar innings now ranks among the highest individual scores by Indian batsmen ending in a run-out. Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar leads the list with a score of 218 against Pakistan in 1989. Jaiswal's score of 175 against WI now places him fourth on the list. Rahul Dravid owns the second and third positions.
WI bowlers
Another torrid day for WI bowlers
Both wickets fallen on Day 1 belonged to left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican. He managed one more scalp on Day 2 to finish with 3/98 from 34 overs. Skipper Roston Chase (1/83 from 17.2 overs) was WI's only other wicket-taker. Frontline pacers Jayden Seales (0/88) and Anderson Phillip (0/71) failed to inflict any damage. The same was the case with Khary Pierre (0/120) and Justin Greaves (0/58).
WI innings
WI falter after decent start
Coming to the WI innings, Tagenarine Chanderpaul (34) and Alick Athanaze (41) added 66 runs for the second wicket after John Campbell's (10) early dismissal. However, both batters threw away their starts as WI went from 87/1 to 107/4. While skipper Chase bagged a duck, Shai Hope (31*) and Tevin Imlach (14*) returned unbeaten as WI finished Day 2 at 140/4, still trailing by 378 runs.
Bowlers
Jadeja stars with the ball
Jadeja made the ball talk to dismiss each of the top three batters. He finished the day with 3/37 from 14 overs. His fellow left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav (1/45 from 12 overs) made the other strike. The other spinner in the line-up, Washington Sundar, failed to strike (0/32 from 7 overs). Jasprit Bumrah (0/18 from 6 overs) and Mohammed Siraj (0/9 from 4 overs) also went wicket-less with the new ball.