Having gained a 1-0 lead going into the second Test, India was having the upper hand in Hyderabad. Windies put in a better performance than that in Rajkot but the hosts proved to be too good at the end. This time, it was the speedster Umesh Yadav who played the decisive role in India’s 10-wicket victory.
The regular captain of Windies Jason Holder was back to lead and his first move went right when he called the right side of the coin. The visitors batted first but India suffered a blow early on. The debutant Shardul Thakur encountered a groin injury and had to walk off the field after bowling just 1.4 overs.
Umesh Yadav bagged his career-best
His fellow pacer Umesh Yadav stood up in his absence big time. The right-hander bowled brilliantly and ended up bagging 6 wickets. The Windies innings revolved around Roston Chase who scored 106 runs. Holder too contributed 52 runs but there’s wasn’t much contribution from others which meant that the visitors were bowled out for 311.
India’s innings was once again boosted by Prithvi Shaw who continued from where he left off in Rajkot. KL Rahul’s woeful time continued as he could score just 4. Shaw made 70 from 53 balls while Cheteshwar Pujara missed out and scored just 10. Virat Kohli was looking set for another century but Holder sent him back for 45.
The hosts were in a spot of bother at 162/4. The vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane combined well with Rishabh Pant and bailed the side out of trouble. A partnership of 152 runs brought India back in the game. Rahane scored 80 while Pant made 92. The Windies bowlers came back strong on the back of a fifer from Holder to restrict the opposition to 367.
Windies faltered in the second innings
Having conceded a lead of 56 runs, Windies were still in the game if they could put in a decent performance with the bat. The pitch was crumbling and a target of above 200 would have been tough to chase. But the batsmen crumbled under pressure and failed to put in any kind of fight.
Both the openers fell without opening their accounts and there was no momentum whatsoever. All the Indian bowlers were relentless and once again, Umesh Yadav was the pick of the lot with 4 wickets. Sunil Ambris top-scored with 38 but struggled for support from the other end. Windies were bowled out for 127 in just 46.1 overs.
India had a target of mere 72 runs. It was important for Rahul to spend some valuable time in the middle. He scored an unbeaten 33 while Shaw contributed the same score. The hosts cruised past the line and chased the target down in just 16.1 overs. India won the series 2-0 and in the process, clinched the 10th straight Test series at home and equaled the Australian record.
Match Summary
Windies won the toss and opted to bat first
Windies 1st innings:Â 311/10 in 101.4 overs
Roston Chase 106 (189), Jason Holder 52 (92)
Umesh Yadav 88/6 (26.4), Kuldeep Yadav 85/3 (29)
India 1st innings:Â 367/10 in 106.4 overs
Rishabh Pant 92 (134), Ajinkya Rahane 80 (183)
Jason Holder 56/5 (23), Shannon Gabriel 107/3 (20.4)
Windies 2nd innings:Â 127/10 in 46.1 overs
Sunil Ambris 38 (95), Shai Hope 28 (42)
Umesh Yadav 45/4 (12.1), Ravindra Jadeja 12/3 (11)
India 2nd innings:Â 75/0 in 16.1 overs
Prithvi Shaw 33* (55), KL Rahul 33* (53)
India won by 10 wickets
Player of the Match:Â Umesh Yadav
Player of the Series:Â Prithvi Shaw
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