Shubman Gill and his team dominated the West Indies, winning the Delhi Test by seven wickets and completing a 2-0 series sweep.
After India’s victory in the second Test at Arun Jaitley Stadium, captain Shubman Gill described it as a great honour to lead the side and shared insights into his decision to enforce the follow-on.
The hosts outclassed the Roston Chase-led West Indies side. Opting to bat first, India posted a massive 518/5 declared in their opening innings, powered by centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (175) and Shubman Gill (129*). India then bowled out the opposition for 248, securing a 270-run lead and enforcing the follow-on.
The West Indies fought back admirably in their second innings, scoring 390, with John Campbell (115) and Shai Hope (103) both reaching three figures. This set India a modest target of 121, which they comfortably chased, guided by an unbeaten half-century from KL Rahul.
“It’s a huge honour, and I’m getting used to it,” says Shubman Gill after India’s Test series win over West Indies
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Shubman Gill described leading India as a “big honour” and spoke about the responsibilities of managing the team. Last week, the right-handed batsman was also appointed India’s ODI captain.
“It’s a huge honour to lead India. I’m slowly getting used to it. Managing all the players and leading this team is a privilege. It’s about making the right decisions in the moment, and I try to take the most probable course of action given the situation in the game,” he said.
Shubman Gill also explained the rationale behind enforcing the follow-on in the Delhi Test and why Nitish Kumar Reddy was included in the playing XI, despite not bowling in the second innings.
“We were around 300 runs ahead. Even if we had scored 500, getting six or seven wickets on day five could have been challenging, so that was our thought process,” he said.
“He didn’t bowl in this match, but we don’t want players to only play overseas games. That puts unnecessary pressure on them. We want to groom certain players who can help us win matches abroad, which has always been a challenge,” he added.
The Indian captain also played a key role in India’s massive total, scoring a century in the first innings. Reflecting on his approach while batting, Shubman Gill said:
“Batting is something I’ve been doing since I was three or four years old. When I go out there, I focus on making the right decisions as a batsman. The ultimate goal is always to help my team win, and that’s the only thought I carry when I’m at the crease,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav was named Player of the Match in the Delhi Test for his eight wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the first innings. With 12 wickets overall, he finished as the highest wicket-taker of the two-match series. Ravindra Jadeja was awarded Player of the Series for his eight wickets across both games and a century in the first Test.