New Delhi: In chilly weather, India won the toss and chose to bat first against the West Indies in the second Test being played here at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground. Team India made no changes to its playing XI. The Caribbean side, however, brought in wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach and pace bowler Anderson Phillip in place of Brandon King and Lenny respectively.
India began cautiously — scoring just 15 runs in the first six overs, with K.L. Rahul on 10 and Yashasvi Jaiswal on 5. This is the final match of the series, with India leading 1–0.
At the start of the match, spin legend Anil Kumble, who once took all 10 wickets in a single innings on this very ground, had the honour of ringing the ceremonial bell.
India unbeaten in Delhi Tests for 38 years
India last lost a Test in Delhi back in November 1987 — 38 years ago. Since then, no visiting team has managed to beat India in a Test match here.
Chance for India to complete a clean sweep
By winning this Test, India has a golden opportunity to complete a 2–0 clean sweep against the West Indies.
ALSO READ : Mimicry artist imitates Dhoni; Rohit bursts into laughter
Last defeat was against Viv Richards’ West Indies
Interestingly, India’s last Test defeat at this ground in 1987 was also against the West Indies. Then-captain Dilip Vengsarkar had scored a brilliant century (102 runs) in the second innings, but India lost by five wickets. Viv Richards had struck an unbeaten, match-winning 109 runs in that innings.
24 Tests since then – 12 wins, 12 draws
Since that loss in 1987, India has played 24 Tests in Delhi, winning 12 and drawing 12.
Delhi’s ground — a lucky venue for India
The Feroz Shah Kotla (now Arun Jaitley Stadium) has been a happy hunting ground for India, especially against the West Indies. The last India–West Indies Test here was in 2011, when under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, India defeated Darren Sammy’s team by five wickets. Interestingly, Darren Sammy is now the head coach of the West Indies team.
Jadeja close to joining an elite club
India’s premier all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja needs just 10 more runs to reach 4,000 runs in Test cricket. Once he does, he will become only the fourth player in the world — after Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, and Daniel Vettori — to achieve the double of 4,000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests.
Playing XIs
India: Shubman Gill (capt), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, K.L. Rahul, Sudarshan, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
West Indies: Roston Chase (capt), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, John Campbell, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach (wk), Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales.
