New Delhi: Shubman Gill celebrated his maiden Test series win as captain after India wrapped up a 2-0 sweep over the West Indies, cruising to a seven-wicket victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday. KL Rahul starred with a fluent unbeaten 58* to seal the triumph in style.
Resuming on Day 5 at 121 for victory, Rahul (30*) and Sai Sudharsan (25*) started cautiously before shifting gears. Rahul unleashed his trademark aggression, lofting Khary Pierre over long-on for six before elegantly flicking another boundary. Sudharsan (39) fell trying to emulate him, driving straight to Shai Hope off skipper Roston Chase.
Gill (13) came in with intent, striking a six and a four in quick succession, but Chase once again struck back—Gill’s attempted big hit ended up in the safe hands of Justin Greaves at mid-wicket. From there, Rahul took control, combining composure and flair as he guided India home. He reached his fifty with a fortuitous top-edged sweep and fittingly struck the winning boundary, finishing unbeaten on 58 off 108 balls.
India’s dominance had begun on the opening day when they chose to bat first. After KL Rahul’s 38, Yashasvi Jaiswal (175) and Sai Sudharsan (87) forged a mammoth 193-run partnership. Gill continued the momentum with an unbeaten 129*, supported by handy knocks from Dhruv Jurel (44) and Nitish Reddy (43), leading India to a commanding declaration at 518/5.
The West Indies’ response was modest—Alick Athanaze (41), Shai Hope (36) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (34) all got starts but couldn’t convert, as they were bundled out for 248. India enforced the follow-on, drawing mixed reactions, but the visitors came back spiritedly. John Campbell (118) registered his maiden Test ton, and Hope (103) broke his eight-year century drought to give the Windies a fighting chance.
Chase (40), Greaves (50*), and Jayden Seales (32) added valuable runs, taking the total to 390 and setting India a target of 121. Despite an early setback with Jaiswal’s dismissal, the hosts stayed calm and completed the chase comfortably.
Brief Scores:
India: 518/5d & 124/3 (KL Rahul 58*, Sai Sudharsan 39; Roston Chase 2/36)
West Indies: 248 & 390 (John Campbell 115, Shai Hope 103; Kuldeep Yadav 3/104)
India win by 7 wickets and take the series 2-0.
