An unbeaten half-century from KL Rahul guided India to a seven-wicket victory over the West Indies on the final morning of the second Test, sealing a 2-0 series sweep for the hosts. Rahul finished on 58 not out as India chased down the target of 121 in 63 minutes on Tuesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, securing Shubman Gill his first series win as captain.
Resuming the day needing 58 runs for victory, India started cautiously before Rahul injected momentum into the chase. He hit two sixes off spinners Jomel Warrican and Khary Pierre to accelerate the scoring. The hosts lost two wickets during the morning session, with Sai Sudharsan, 39 caught one-handed by Shai Hope at slip off Roston Chase, and captain Gill, 13, holing out to short midwicket. Rahul, however, remained composed, bringing up his fifty in 102 balls before steering India home alongside Dhruv Jurel.
The victory came after a spirited fight from the West Indies, who pushed the match into a fifth day with an improved second-innings batting performance. After being forced to follow on, centuries from John Campbell and Shai Hope; his first in Test cricket in nine years, laid a strong foundation. A 79-run last-wicket partnership between Justin Greaves, 50 not out, and Jayden Seales, 32, then frustrated India's bowlers and set a competitive target.
Kuldeep Yadav was named Player of the Match for his eight-wicket haul, and Ravindra Jadeja was awarded Player of the Series for his all-round contributions. Kuldeep reflected on the conditions, stating, "This was a completely different wicket. Bowling so many overs was a challenge, but I really enjoyed it. Getting breakthroughs after bowling long spells is something I enjoy a lot." Jadeja commented on his evolving role, adding, "I’m now batting at number six, so I’m thinking more like a proper batsman... My goal is always to contribute with both bat and ball to help the team win."
India's position was initially established by first-innings centuries from opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, 175 and captain Shubman Gill. After the match, West Indies' Roston Chase highlighted his team's progress. "The bright spots for us were definitely Campbell and Hope. They played really well and scored their hundreds. Batting 100 overs after such a long time was another positive," he said.
Reflecting on his first series win at the helm, captain Shubman Gill spoke about the responsibilities of leadership and the strategic thinking behind key decisions. "It’s a huge honour to lead India, and I’m slowly getting used to it," Gill said. "Regarding the follow-on, we were around 300 runs ahead. Even if we scored 500, getting six or seven wickets on Day 5 could have been tough, so that was our thought process. We aim to groom players who can help us win abroad, as that’s been a challenge."
