AHMEDABAD — On Day 2 of the Test against the West Indies, India made a strong statement of intent by scoring a huge 327 runs in a single day, bringing their total to 448/5. India is well on its way to ending its three-game home losing trend (against New Zealand) with a strong batting performance that gave them a 286-run lead and five first-innings wickets still in hand. This may happen as soon as the third day.
Even though it was a historic day for the Indian squad, the stands at the Ahmedabad stadium were mostly empty. Local supporters didn’t seem too interested in the cricket, probably because they were tired after the recent Garba nights.
Three Hundreds in One Day: A Rare Thing
On that day, three centuries were registered on the same day, which hasn’t happened since 2018. The West Indies bowlers couldn’t stop KL Rahul (100), Dhruv Jurel (125), and Ravindra Jadeja (104*) from scoring.
Each batter celebrated their milestone with enthusiasm and a special dedication:
KL Rahul made a move like a youngster, dedicating his hundred to his young child.
Ravindra Jadeja did his famous sword dance.
Dhruv Jurel, the son of a Kargil war veteran, saluted the Indian Army.
Tactical bowling and lapses in concentration
The Day 2 pitch was a lot easier in the sun, although it still had some turn, with an average of 3 degrees compared to 2.4 degrees the day before. But the West Indies spin trio, who included captain Roston Chase, seemed to want to bowl defensively, which didn’t bother the Indian batters too much.
There were just two wickets that day, and both were due to the centurions losing focus for a short time:
Shubman Gill collapsed on 50 when he tried to reverse sweep against Roston Chase and was caught at slip. He may have been in a Ranji Trophy mindset because the runs were so easy. The Indian captain will want to avoid making mistakes like these in the future.
KL Rahul, who had just scored a hundred, hit a casual drive in the first over after lunch, which went straight to short extra-cover.
Jurel and Jadeja Are the Stars of the Show
Jadeja came to the crease to join Jurel after the dismissals. In this Test, Rishabh Pant was not there, and the other team was not as strong, so the two of them batted in the top six. This was a great chance because Indian cricket is so competitive.
Ravindra Jadeja quickly seized charge of attacking spin, hitting straight sixes that made the spinners change their lengths.
Dhruv Jurel’s first Test hundred, following his brilliant 90 in Ranchi and 46 in Rajkot against England last year, was a masterful performance of patience and planned attack.
Jurel’s plan was to wear out the bowlers so that they would bowl to his strengths. He got most of his runs by making angled cuts and flicks. He told reporters about his plan, saying, “The pitch was good and becoming better… We talked about how to keep hitting with as little risks as possible.
Jurel said that he was focused on playing his own game and not trying to copy Pant’s maverick style. “I do my best to control what I can.” I can’t control whether or not I should be a pure batter. He said, “So I try to score runs whenever I can,” which made him the clear best backup to Pant.
Jadeja, who is still unblemished at the bat, scored his seventh fifty (including two hundreds) in his previous five Tests. This is an amazing run of large runs for the all-rounder.
Now that the pacers have done their job in the first innings, it’s time to look at India’s three spinners. If they can get into a groove on Saturday, the game might end early.