Spin the key again as India eye clean sweep against wobbly WI

As the sun broke through the post-rain haze over the Arun Jaitley Stadium, it brought the Indian team through a high-intensity net session that lasted over three hours on Wednesday. The mood was focused in everything they did – fitness drills, fielding sessions, batting and bowling practice.

With the rhythm sharp, and the intent unmistakable, it clearly showed the Indian team was in the mood to ready themselves for what their next aim is: be at their best in all aspects and get a clean sweep over a wobbly West Indies in the second Test starting on Friday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

If there were doubts over how India would fare in a new home season, especially after the 3-0 loss to New Zealand and the retirements of stalwarts Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, all those concerns were convincingly brushed aside when Shubman & Co. wrapped a commanding win by an innings and 140 runs in three days in Ahmedabad.

The foundations of that win were emphatic – declaring on a commanding score of 448/5 – thanks to Dhruv Jurel’s maiden century, KL Rahul’s measured hundred, and Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten ton. The bowlers were also at their incisive best - Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah dismissing listless West Indies’ batters with precision.

If that wasn’t enough, then Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar ensured spin had its say too on a greenish Ahmedabad wicket. One would expect for the spin troika to have a larger say on a black soil pitch in Delhi.

The Kotla pitch, last seen in a three-day finish against Australia in 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series (with Jadeja being chief wrecker via a seven-wicket haul in the second essay), bears familiar signs - dry patches, minimal grass to keep the surface together, and a surface likely to break down as the match progresses.

With rains receding (thanks to the western disturbance bidding goodbye, though chilly winds exist) and brighter skies returning, the residual moisture should vanish by the time the game begins on Friday.

As per what assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said, India are unlikely to tinker with a winning combination. Bumrah, who bowled just 20 overs in Ahmedabad, is expected to play, so as Nitish Kumar Reddy, who could get more chances to showcase his all-round skills after being surplus to requirements in the first game.

The batting order bears a settled look, though India would wish for B Sai Sudharsan to live up to the high promise which the team management sees in him and ten Doeschate stated strongly. If Sudharsan manages to make big runs in New Delhi, it would mean that the last piece in India’s batting puzzle will be solved before hosting current World Test Championship winners South Africa next month.

For West Indies, the challenges are very steep – both on and off the field. From an on-field perspective, a depleted fast bowling attack, and an already fragile batting unit must now find answers and put up some fight against a relentless Indian team.

Skipper Roston Chase will hope to extract something from the surface with his off-spin, but the burden of batting resistance lies with him, Shai Hope, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, and Alick Athanaze.

“I don’t think the guys are lacking confidence. But it’s just to get that one score, to get that start, to then kick on from there - I just think once you obviously get that good innings or that hundred or that big fifty, that then gives you the confidence to know that I can actually do it.

“But I think everyone is confident and when you get out there, and you don’t start well as a batting unit and the pressure is on - it’s for us to soak up that pressure as batters, and still find a way to score and put back the pressure on to the Indian bowlers. So I just think that is the biggest challenge for us. I don’t think that we’re not confident. I just think that we just need to get that start and kick on and we’ll be fine,” said Chase in the pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Against India’s all-round firepower, the margin for error is very slim and West Indies, after being on their wrong side in Ahmedabad, is fully aware of what’s needed of them to avoid making the game a one-sided affair. Facing a plethora of left-arm spinners and showing productive energy in their practice session suggests they are very keen to rectify the missteps made in Ahmedabad.

But as the scoreboard resets to zero on Friday morning, it’s India who hold all the cards for now - in form, fitness, and familiarity with conditions. If the surface plays true to its dry character and spin takes center stage once again, India should have little trouble wrapping up a 2-0 series win in quick time under New Delhi’s sunlit skies.

Indo-Asian News Service