New Delhi [India], October 14 : Shubman Gill basked in his first series win as Test captain after India swept the series away with a 2-0 scoreline after KL Rahul engineered a flamboyant 58* to take the hosts to a seven-wicket win with consummate ease at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.
In the opening hour of day five, Sai Sudharsan and KL Rahul resumed with the 121-run chase with their overnight scores of 25 and 30. The duo remained circumspect for the initial overs before Rahul broke through the shackles and pushed the foot on the accelerator.
Rahul showed a sense of urgency and ambled down the ground to hammer the ball nonchalantly over long-on for a maximum off Khary Pierre. He topped it up by venturing out of his crease and flicking the ball for a four. Sudharsan (39) tried to follow the same route, but perished after he sent his drive straight to Shai Hope off captain Roston Chase.
In the battle of captains, Shubman Gill (13) straightaway went for the kill with a six and a four. However, it was Chase who had the last laugh at the end. While trying to clear the boundary, Gill ballooned the ball in the sky, and Justin Greaves, stationed at mid-wicket, sprinted towards the landing zone to successfully get his fingertips underneath the ball.
Rahul continued to stand out with his sublime strokeplay and drove India closer to victory. He brought up his 50 with a sweep that caught a top edge and allowed him to sprint for the double to bring up another milestone in his stellar career. Dhruv Jurel decided to take an aerial route but gave away an outside edge that landed safely. Jurel scuttled for a double in the process to bring the scores level. Rahul (58* off 108) found the winning boundary as India thumped the West Indies with a seven-wicket win.
The second Test began with India winning the toss and opting to bat on a benign strip in Delhi. Stylish opener KL Rahul fell on 38, but Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan forged a 193-run partnership for the second wicket. Vice-captain Jomel Warrican pulled the curtain down on Sudharsan's exploits with a spinning delivery on 87(165).
Jaiswal continued with his rollicking exploits before a mix-up with captain Shubman Gill had him run out on 175(258). Gill notched an unbeaten 129(196) with Dhruv Jurel (44) and Nitish Reddy (43) chipping in with valuable contributions as India declared on 518/5.
In reply, Alick Athanaze (41), Shai Hope (36) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (34) got off to a positive start but failed to convert into significant scores. Anderson Phillip offered late resistance with an unbeaten 24 off 93 deliveries as the West Indies bundled out on 248 in 81.5 overs.
India imposed a follow-on, a move that widely drew criticism from fans. India's worn-out bowling attack returned to the field as the Caribbean batting unit attempted to stage a coup de grace with an inspired performance from the top-order. John Campbell (118) walloped his maiden Test ton, while Shai Hope ended his eight-year Test century hiatus with a composed 103(214).
Captain Roston Chase hammered 40 off 72 deliveries before Justin Greaves (50*) and Jayden Seales (32) entertained the spectators with a 79-run partnership for the 10th wicket. The West Indies powered its way to 390, setting a 121-run target for India to gun down. India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal early, but remained composed to complete a series sweep.
Brief Scores: India 518/5d & 124/3 (KL Rahul 58*, Sai Sudharsan 39; Roston Chase 2-36) vs West Indies 248 & 390 (John Campbell 115, Shai Hope 103; Kuldeep Yadav 3-104).