India’s sturdy openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal & KL Rahul, got India off to a brilliant start in the morning session. India’s score was 94-1 in 28 overs as KL Rahul lost his wicket after stitching an invaluable opening partnership of 58 runs in 17.3 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal took ample time to get his eye in as Caribbean bowlers bowled brilliantly in tandem, as there was good control in line & length.
KL Rahul & Yashasvi Jaiswal play out a nervy phase
West Indies had made two changes to their playing 11, Anderson Phillip replaced Johanne Layne, and Tevin Imlach came in place of Brandon King. India, on the other hand, named an unchanged team after a perfect outing at Ahmedabad. Shubman Gill had no hesitation in batting first as the surface was quite dry and not a batting paradise, as earlier there were reports stating that proved to be completely opposite. Delhi’s ground has black soil, which makes spinners thrive on it
Jayden Seales & Anderson Phillip were hitting the good length consistently. KL Rahul & Yashasvi Jaiswal showed sheer mental application as Men in Maroon were quite pumped up and energetic in the field. Justin Greaves bowled a remarkable spell along with Jayden Seales as they had to grind a lot. The pitch wasn’t misbehaving, but they bowled wicket to wicket line & lengths, which troubled India’s openers. India’s score at the end of the first drinks break was 29-0 in 12 overs.
KL Rahul stunned by Jomel Warrican; Yashasvi Jaiswal leads the charge
Spin was introduced in the 15th over as Khary Pierre rolled his arm. KL Rahul started to slowly unleash the attack on the opposition by using his feet. In the 18th over, Jomel Warrican was brought into the attack. KL Rahul was deceived on the 3rd ball of the 18th over as he stepped down the track, but the ball astoundingly kept very much low, and he was stumped out. KL Rahul’s wicket brought life back into the match for the visitors. India’s score at that time was 58-1 in 17.3 overs.
B Sai Sudharsan was looking quite nervous at the start of his innings. West Indies’ skipper Roston Chase was seen marshaling his troops. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s defense was quite solid. He made sure that there wasn’t a collapse. Sai Sudharsan & Yashasvi Jaiswal played out the tricky final 40 mins of the morning session as India’s score was 94-1 in 28 overs. Roston Chase even rolled up his arm as the surface was somewhat deteriorating.
What lies ahead for India & West Indies in the afternoon session
India would be on the happier side going into the afternoon session. With a long batting line-up, India can afford to play a bit risky cricket, but it seems unlikely, as the surface has the knack of being mercurial. All eyes will be on Yashasvi Jaiswal, whose score is 40 runs in 78 balls, and when he gets a start then he smashes a daddy ton most likely. Sai Sudharsan has got a mini start, 16 runs in 36 balls, and would be roaring to smash a powerful knock and silence all critics who are questioning his place in the team
On the other hand, the West Indies would believe that 3-4 wickets in the afternoon session can put India on the back foot. Roston Chase would be considering introducing spin from both ends immediately from the start of the afternoon session. Head coach Darren Sammy would be aware of the fact that India can go all-out attack approach. West Indies can’t allow India to run away with the game, as already, West Indies’ batters aren’t having a great outing.
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