INDIA completed a 2-0 sweep of the West In
dies on Tuesday, defeating the visitors by sev
en wickets in the second Test at Delhi’s Arun
Jaitley Stadium to give captain Shubman Gill
his first Test series win.
Chasing 121 for victory on the final day, India re
sumed on 63 for 1 and reached the target in the
morning session. KL Rahul finished unbeaten on
58, hitting the winning boundary to seal the match.
West Indies captain Roston Chase took two
wickets with his off-spin, removing Sai Sudharsan
for 39 and Gill for 13, but India comfortably crossed
the line at 124 for 3.
The West Indies had shown late resistance,
posting 390 in their second innings after being
forced to follow on. John Campbell scored 115 and
Shai Hope made 103, adding 177 for the third
wicket to delay India’s win.
Under 26-year-old Gill, India are entering a new
phase following the retirements of Rohit Sharma
and Virat Kohli. The win in Delhi followed an in
nings and 140-run victory in the opening Test,
completing a strong start to Gill’s captaincy after
his first assignment — a 2-2 series draw in England
earlier this year.
“It’s a really big honor and I would say I’m get
ting used to it,” Gill said at the post-match presen
tation. “Managing all the players and leading this
team is a great honor.”
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said Gill
had already proved himself in his first few months
as leader.
“No one has done him a favor by appointing him
the Test and one-day captain,” Gambhir said. “I
think he deserves every bit of it. I think he’s
worked hard, and he ticks all the boxes.” Gill has
been in strong form since being named Test cap
tain in May. He scored 754 runs in five Tests in
England and followed that with a century and a
half-century against the West Indies.
India’s bowlers played a major role in the series
win. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav took
eight wickets in the Delhi Test, including 5 for 82 in
the first innings, earning the player of the match
award. Kuldeep finished the series with 12 wickets,
while pace bowler Mohammed Siraj took 10 and
became India’s leading wicket-taker in 2025 with 37
in eight matches.
India’s batters had set up the win with a strong
first innings total of 518 for 5 declared. Yashasvi
Jaiswal top-scored with 175, while Gill remained
unbeaten on 129.
For the West Indies, the series defeat was their
second straight after a 3-0 loss at home to Australia
earlier this year. But there were some positives for
the visitors in Delhi, including the second-innings
hundreds by Campbell and Hope and late resist
ance from the lower order.
“It’s just for us to use this last Test match as a
stepping stone and a confidence booster going into
the upcoming series,” Chase said. “We just have to
keep improving as much as we can from here.”
India enforced the follow-on after bowling out
the West Indies for 248 in the first innings, with
Kuldeep leading the attack. Facing a 270-run defi
cit, the West Indies showed greater application in
their second innings.
After the Campbell-Hope partnership, Justin
Greaves and Jayden Seales frustrated India late in
the game. Greaves remained unbeaten on 50, and
Seales contributed 32 as they put on 79 runs for the
final wicket, forcing the match into the fifth day.
The series win continued India’s strong home
record in Test cricket. With the next series sched
uled against South Africa later this year, Gill will
look to build on the momentum of his successful
start as captain. (With inputs from agencies)
Gill leads India to 2–0 win
KULDEEP’S SPIN DISMANTLES WEST INDIES AS VISITORS LOSE BY SEVEN WICKETS
AUSTRALIA chased down a target of
331 to beat India by three wickets with
an over to spare in the Women’s
World Cup match in Visakhapatnam
on Sunday. It was the highest success
ful run chase in women’s ODI history.
India had posted their highest-ever
World Cup total of 330 all out, but
Australia, led by captain Alyssa Healy,
pulled off the record-breaking win.
Healy struck 142 off 107 balls, hitting
21 fours and three sixes in an innings
that set up the chase and surpassed
Sri Lanka’s previous best chase of 302
against South Africa in 2024.
Healy started aggressively, reach
ing her fifty in just 35 balls, the fast
est of the tournament, and later
brought up her sixth ODI hundred,
her first as captain.
“Very proud of the team. It looked
like 360 at one stage. We identified
which bowlers to target and adapted
beautifully,” Healy said.
After her dismissal, Australia lost a
couple of quick wickets but remained
in control of the required rate. Ellyse
Perry, who had earlier retired hurt
with cramps, returned to finish the
chase, hitting Sneh Rana for a straight
six to seal the victory.
Earlier, India’s openers Pratika
Rawal and Smriti Mandhana gave the
hosts a strong start, adding 155 runs
off 24.3 overs. Mandhana crossed 5000
career ODI runs, becoming only the
second Indian and fifth overall to
achieve the milestone. She is also the
fastest player to reach it.
From 294 for 4, India’s innings col
lapsed as they lost their last six wick
ets for 36 runs, getting bowled out in
48.5 overs.
“We could have easily scored 30
more runs. The last six overs cost us
the game,” India captain Harmanpreet
Kaur said.
For Australia, Annabel Sutherland
marked her 24th birthday with a
maiden five-wicket haul, helping re
strict India after their strong start.
(With inputs from agencies)
Sport
www.indiaweekly.biz • October 2025
23
India fall despite record total against Australia
VICTORY CHARGE:
India’s players celebrate
with the trophy
© Getty Images
RECORD CHASE: Ellyse
Perry (left) celebrates
with Kim Garth after
hitting the winning six