The West Indies’ surprising performance with the bat in the ongoing Test series in India has led to criticism of the Indian leadership team, including captain Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir. After scoring only 248 runs in their first innings and asked to follow on, the West Indies relied on centuries from opener John Campbell and Shai Hope to avoid an innings defeat and force India to bat again.
In the second session of Day 4, the West Indies surpassed India’s total with seven wickets remaining, demonstrating impressive resilience with the bat.
Gautam Gambhir slammed in Delhi Test
India requested to bat again after enforcing the follow-on for the first time since their home Test against England in Ahmedabad in 2012. Since then, India has won 8 Tests by a innings after enforcing the follow-on and drawn two due to weather interruptions. However, they not made to bat again during this period.
India declared at 518 for five on a pitch that gave very little support to bowlers at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. In the series opener in Ahmedabad, India declared with only 448 runs on the board after bowling out the West Indies for 162, securing a win by an innings and 140 runs. However, the conditions in Ahmedabad were much more favorable for bowlers.
No Nonsense Declaration
Many fans have criticized India’s decision to enforce the follow-on, especially after their bowlers had already bowled 81.5 overs in the first innings on a pitch that offered minimal help. Some questioned why India declared at 518 instead of continuing to bat and completely eliminating the West Indies from contention.
Indian bowlers were required to bowl more than 90 overs in the second innings, raising concerns about the workloads of their leading pacers, Bumrah and Siraj. Captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir have faced backlash for this decision, with some fans suggesting that India should avoid enforcing the follow-on in future home Tests.
Read also: Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh’s wife Jyoti Singh contest Bihar Elections 2025 from Karakat