India needs 58 more runs to win the second Test against West Indies.
India all-rounder Washington Sundar stated that opener Yashasvi Jaiswal did his best to end the ongoing second and final Test against the West Indies in Delhi on the fourth day, October 13, 2025, but failed.
After being asked to follow on, the West Indies did extremely well in the second innings, scoring 390 runs. John Campbell made 115 and Shai Hope made 103, while Justin Greaves made 50*, to help the West Indies avoid the innings defeat and manage to take a lead of 120 runs as well.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was the only wicket India lost before the 4th day’s play ended, as he fell for 8 runs, as India made 63/1, with KL Rahul on 25* and Sai Sudharsan on 30*.
This was only the fourth occasion India had to bat in the fourth innings after enforcing the follow-on, and there was little time left on Day 4. Jaiswal arrived with the desire to finish the game but ended up scoring 8 (7) with two boundaries.
“A lot of you all (the reporters) also would have liked it if the game got over today, but Jaiswal did his best. On another day, we would’ve definitely finished it on the fourth day," Sundar said in the post-day press conference.
With no rain forecasted for Tuesday, India would hope to wrap the match in the first half of the first session.
Sundar hasn't had much to do thus far in the test. He grabbed one wicket in the latter West Indies innings but none in the first, and he did not bat.
However, this is one of the strategies that Gautam Gambhir has brought with him as head coach. He prefers to play all-rounders with a variety of bowling options and batting depth, even if it means missing out on some specialist match-winners. Sundar and Nitish Reddy have benefited from more playing time.
Sundar described it as a 'blessing' for himself but also supported his coach, claiming that teams containing all-rounders had historically performed well in tests.
“I mean, it’s just been a blessing, honestly. To be an all-rounder is really heartening because you are always in the game. You have a great opportunity to make an impact on the team with both skill sets and eventually win the game for the team. I mean, I have got to thank God for all the skills he’s blessed me with. Obviously, in Test cricket, it’s better to have as many all-rounders as possible. I mean, if you go back and see, most of the teams have dominated Test cricket for many years,” he added.
The India team will have some days of break after the West Indies Test series, with the ODIs starting in Australia on October 19 in Perth.
(PTI inputs)