The West Indies tour of India series is heading towards its end, and India is driving the match with a winning lead. Batting first, India put a humongous total of 518 runs on the board. In reply West Indies were only able to make 248 runs. Following this, the Indian team opted not to bat in the third innings and instead decided to declare and give the follow-on. For the first time in the tour, the West Indies gave India a tight battle and put 390 runs on the board. John Campbell and Shai Hope scored a century each and helped to take a lead of 120 runs.
Why did India skip batting in the third innings?
According to the MCC law 14.1, “In a two-innings match of 5 days or more, the side which bats first and leads by at least 200 runs shall have the option of requiring the other side to follow their innings.”
As per the MCC laws, the follow-on rule is only made for Test cricket. The rule allows the team that bats first to make the other team bat again immediately. If Team A bats first and scores 450 runs in the first innings of a five-day Test match and Team B scores less than 250 (a 200-run lead), Team A can immediately ask Team B to bat again. This skips Team A's second innings for the time being and puts pressure on Team B to perform better in the second innings.
After the first innings of the West Indies, Team India had a lead of 270 runs, which allowed them to enforce a follow-on against the West Indies. India is now batting in the 4th innings.
Highlights of the Match
Team India’s humongous 518 runs in 1st Innings - Stalwart Subhman Gill scored not out 129 runs, and Yashasvi missed his second double hundred by just 25 runs. After having a decent start, KL Rahul departed by scoring just 38 runs. After that, Sai and Yashasvi took the guard strongly and built a 193 partnership.
Following Yashasvi's runout. Gill took the responsibility to take the innings forward. He made a brilliant partnership of 91 runs with Nitish Reddy, and after Nitish Reddy’s out, Gill handled the command with Dhruv Jurel and made a standout 102-run partnership. Gill remained not out, scoring 129 runs in 196 balls, with the help of 16 boundaries and two sixes. After Dhruv Jurel’s wicket, India declared the innings with 518 runs on board.
West Indies' poor performance is 1st innings – The mighty West Indies team of the 90s is now having trouble putting 300 runs on board. In the first innings, the West Indies only made 248 runs. Kuldeep Yadav’s turn helped him get a fifer and break their batting lineup masterfully. None of the West Indies batters was able to make 50 in their first innings.
The Follow-on
In the third innings, India skipped their batting and gave West Indies a follow-on, and West Indies came back hard. Shai Hope scored 103 runs and John Campble scored 115 runs. Their tough fight was only able to give them a lead of 120 runs.
Predictions
India is in the hot seat right now. They are in 63 for 1, and only need 58 runs to clinch their victory. According to ChatGPT," India is likely to chase the 121-run target easily, finishing around 121/1 or 121/2 to win the match early on Day 5."
If something bizarre does not happen, it will be Shubman Gill’s first series win as captain at any format.
