West Indies show steel in the face of adversity

The dam finally burst at 10.39 on Monday morning, but the floodgates did not exactly open. What was expected to be an afternoon jog – a victory on a canter – for the Indian team turned into a stern examination for their bowlers as the West Indies showed there is still some steel left in their spines. There were two centuries and much more from the West Indies, who proved they are no pushovers despite their recent record in Tests, particularly against India.

It could still be 2-0 for India but the home team wouldn’t have anticipated such resilience, resistance and defiance from the Roston Chase-led side. For the first time in six Tests against India, the West Indies pushed the fight not just to the fourth day but into the fifth. They might even have entertained thoughts of a repeat of Barbados 1997 – when India calamitously crumbled for 81 while chasing 120 – but that seems a little far-fetched, even though the target here is almost similar – 121.

John Campbell and Shai Hope surprised the Indians with their grit, resolve, and tenacity and posted a 177-run partnership for the third wicket – the West Indies’ highest stand this year for any wicket – keeping the Indian pacers and spinners at bay for 212 minutes and 295 deliveries. Suddenly, the Test, expected to end on the third day with an innings defeat staring in the face of the visitors, was going the distance.

The Indian team, with stalwarts like Jasprit Bumrah – known for anticipating batters’ reactions as much as for his proven skills – and Mohammed Siraj, the hit-the-deck bowler who is mastering the art of the wobble seam, tried their best but without much success initially. Ravindra Jadeja, the all-season, all-condition spinner, and Kuldeep Yadav, with his mystery element up his sleeve, also came a cropper for quite some time. For almost 50 overs, Campbell and Hope managed to frustrate the Indian attack.

The Indians tried just about everything on the fourth morning. They went wider outside off, exploited the rough patches, and bowled straighter lines to bring the stumps into play. They varied their angles, switched ends, and forced the batters to play as many deliveries as possible – but with little success. Campbell, the left-handed opener, and Hope, the seasoned campaigner, were up to the task. One was chasing his maiden century, the other his first in eight years – and by the end of the day, both had achieved their goals.

It was not just a battle of attrition – there was a display of bravado too by the two West Indian batsmen. Campbell stepped out to Jadeja and hit a six to reach his maiden century, a display of guts, courage and confidence, while Hope showed the right mix of restraint and enterprise and played some delightful shots in his marathon effort. “I think it’s a big positive for us. Having not gotten the best first innings, we came out in the second innings and batted over 100 overs, so that’s a big plus for us,” said the soft-spoken Campbell after Day 4 stumps.

There was also appreciation from the Indian side for the two. “Honestly, Campbell and Hope played really well. They took their chances, and once the field was spread out, they were really sensible with their game as well. They batted really well, both of them. But the conversation for us was to be really patient and bowl those good deliveries no matter what,” Washington Sundar said.

If that third-wicket association was frustrating, the Indians had to undergo some unexpected torrid time in the end as Justin Greaves and No. 11 Jayden Seales continued the dogfight. A stand of 79 for the last wicket from any team can be really frustrating, and the hopes of a likely Day 4 finish went up in the air as the Indians were kept on the field for an extended period.

A few West Indian legends – Brian Lara, Viv Richards, and Richie Richardson – were in Delhi, and they even met the players personally to inspire them to do better after their meek capitulation in the first Test in Ahmedabad. It surely seems to have worked for the side, although the result will almost certainly remain the same, as in Ahmedabad.

“Well, as we saw towards the latter part of the day, the wicket was a little bit up and down, so who knows what a few early wickets might do in the morning,” said Campbell, hoping for a dramatic turnaround from a situation on Day 5 when India will only need 58 runs with nine wickets still intact.

In fairness to the Indian side, the pitch was slow and benign, offering very little assistance to the bowlers. It is a tribute to the fitness and endurance of the Indian team that they managed to stay on the field for 200 overs under the scorching sun – across both innings and for almost two and a half days – and still managed to squeeze water out of a stone to stand on the brink of victory.

“The England series definitely made us understand what it actually feels like to be on the field for five days,” Sundar said. “Because even in England, we fielded for about 180-200 overs every game. So, this definitely isn’t something very new to us.

“And obviously, there wasn’t a lot of turn on offer. On this kind of wicket, you just need to be a lot more patient and try to hit those areas more consistently. That’s the only challenge. But obviously, it’s good to be bowling long spells. It’s very heartening to have actually taken 20 wickets on a wicket like this,” Sundar added as India saw light at the end of the tunnel.