India vs West Indies, second Test: 5 things we learnt from the match

Having elected to bat first Windies batted better than what they’d in the first Test and put up a competitive total of 311. India’s first innings was marked by a quick-fire 70 from Prithvi Shaw, an attritional 80 from Ajinkya Rahane and a 92 from Rishabh Pant.

Often termed as the moving day of a Test match, the third day of the second Test eventually turned out to be the final day of the match. India was only able to achieve a paltry lead of 56 runs after ending up on 308/4 on day twp. Jason Holder, the Windies skipper took a five-wicket haul as both Rahane and Pant failed to register a century.

Windies batting unit once again crumbled and was bundled out of 127. Umesh Yadav was the standout performer for India as he took 10-wickets in the match registering his career-best figures of 10/133. India chased down the target of 72 and registered a comfortable victory to win the series 2–0.

Let us take a look at the 5 things we learned from the second Test:

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#1 India should be wary of the new ball in Australia

A careful vigil from Ajinkya Rahane and a patient innings to the standards of Rishabh Pant was ended by Jason Holder as he moved the new ball both ways. Rahane was surprised by the bounce of the ball and nicked one to gully. Pant fell prey to a good catch by Shimron Hetmyer soon after Ravindra Jadeja was trapped leg before wicket. Kuldeep Yadav was the final victim of Holder.

With a struggling Lokesh Rahul and both Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal being fairly new to the international set-up, most of the responsibility will rely on Chetheshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Although Pujara scored 86 in the first match and Rahane scored 80 in this innings, neither of them have had a marathon inning that could’ve boosted their confidence. The trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood along with Nathan Lyon might be too hot to handle for the Indian middle-order veterans.

#2 Umesh Yadav makes his case for a permanent place in the XI

Umesh who had picked up 6 wickets in the first innings was on a hat-trick on the first ball of the second innings, having picked two-in-two in the final balls of the first innings. Although he failed to achieve the hat-trick, Kraigg Brathwaite fell on the very next ball, strangled down the leg.

Umesh further came back later in the innings and made the most of the reversing ball as he cleaned up first innings centurion Roston Chase and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich, again in successive balls. With the wicket of Chase, Umesh went past his previous best figures of 7/103 in a Test match and became only the third Indian pacer to pick 10 wickets in a Test match in India.

With Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah along with Bhuvaneshwar Kumar being the first-choice seamers for away tours, Umesh is doing everything in his capabilities to seal a spot in the XI.

#3 Jason Holder, a great leader

Scoring 52 runs in the first innings Jason Holder partnered with Roston Chase for a century stand, the third between the pair for the seventh wicket. Despite not being express in pace, Holder made the most of the new ball and lead from the front as he picked a fifer. The skipper led from the front and produced a remarkable performance throughout the game. It was visible how badly did his side missed his service even in the First game at Rajkot. The kind of value he adds to the side is immense.

The five-wicket haul included the wickets Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav along with the opposition skipper Virat Kohli. The return of Holder’s impact was also evident with the improved resistance shown by the Windies team. Though the batting led the team down, a resurgent performance by the skipper can be used an example of inspiration in the future games.

#4 Prithvi and Pant pass with flying colours in their first home series

The aftermath of England series meant that India decided to finally move past from Shikhar Dhawan as their main opener. Prithvi Shaw who was selected as the backup opener for the England series was given the nod ahead of Mayank Agarwal, the hero of domestic cricket.

Debuting at Rajkot, Prithvi made the most of his opportunities and scored his maiden century which was followed by a 70 in the second Test at Hyderabad. Another youngster to make a mark in the series was Rishabh Pant, scoring 92 in both the tests.

Although both the youngsters have proven their worth in home conditions, they’ll have their task cut out for the bouncy pitches of Australia against world-class attack. It will be a tough task in the reckoning for the young lads as they will look to cement their place in the side.

#5 Windies need to take big strides to be competitive in Test cricket

Although Windies were able to push India to play the fourth innings unlike the first Test, the series in a whole was pretty much a one-sided affair. Apart from the first innings were they put up a target of 311, credit to a century from Roston Chase and a brilliant new ball spell from Jason Holder tying India down to 367, most of the young guys looked out of sorts for the longer format and have a long way to march in competing in Test cricket.

The visitors were no match for India as they continued to let down their fans and the followers on both the occasions in the Test series. They needed someone to stand up and pull off an inspiring performance, but unfortunately, this didn't happen for the visitors. They will hope to do better in the tour ahead.