Gill’s Era Begins with a Bang: India Sweep West Indies 2-0 in First Series Under New Captain
New Delhi: India, under the new leadership of Shubman Gill, sealed a 2-0 series victory over the West Indies on Tuesday, October 14, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. KL Rahul anchored the successful run chase with a masterful half-century on a difficult pitch, guiding the hosts to a 7-wicket win and securing Shubman Gill’s first Test series win as the new captain.
On a challenging Delhi pitch where the ball turned and kept perilously low, Rahul stamped his authority with a calm half-century off 101 balls to see India through in the first session of Day 5. His patient innings stood in stark contrast to the dismissals of Sai Sudharsan and Captain Gill, who fell while attempting needless shots. It was fitting that Rahul hit the winning runs, finishing the match with a boundary just over an hour into the day’s play.
While the victory looks comprehensive on paper, it was a hard-fought win for an Indian side still finding its footing after being whitewashed at home by New Zealand less than a year ago. The match also raised some tactical questions about the new leadership, including a potentially premature declaration that forced Indian bowlers to toil for 200 overs in the Delhi heat.
New Batting Order Shines in Post-Rohit/Kohli Era
The series marked a successful start for India’s batting lineup in the post-Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli era in home Tests. Coming into the series with questions over its batting depth, the team saw strong performances from its new-look middle order. The likes of Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul, and Dhruv Jurel gave a strong account of themselves, ensuring a swift transition. In a commanding batting display across the two matches, every batter in India’s top six, barring Sudharsan, scored a century.
West Indies’ Losing Streak Continues
Despite a spirited fight in the final two days of the second Test, the visitors were unable to pose a serious challenge to the hosts. The defeat marked an unwanted record for the West Indies: their 10th consecutive Test series loss against India, a streak stretching back to 2002. While they showed glimpses of resilience, the challenge for the Caribbean side remains to build consistency and sustain pressure over all five days of a Test match.
With the clean sweep, India now has seven wins from seven Tests in the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, placing them third in the standings. India’s next red-ball assignment will be against defending WTC champions South Africa in November.
