India Clinches 2-0 Series Sweep Over West Indies, Equals Historic Record
KL Rahul guides India past the West Indies, completing a 2-0 series sweep at Delhi.
India scripted a commanding seven-wicket triumph over the West Indies on the final day of the second Test at Arun Jaitley Stadium, sealing a flawless 2-0 series sweep and equalling their all-time record of 16 consecutive Test victories at home. Resuming at 63/1, needing 58 runs to overhaul a gettable 121, the hosts cruised to victory in just 35.2 overs, showcasing clinical batting on a batsman-friendly pitch that offered little assistance to the beleaguered Caribbean bowlers. KL Rahul's unbeaten 58 anchored the chase, silencing doubters after a lean patch and propelling India to their 19th straight home series win since the historic 2012-13 England defeat, a streak now mirroring the legendary run under Virat Kohli from 2016 to 2021.
The morning session unfolded with poise as opener Yashasvi Jaiswal's overnight 33 gave way to Rahul's steady companionship with Sai Sudharsan, forging a match-defining 79-run second-wicket alliance that drained any lingering West Indies hopes. Sudharsan, the 23-year-old Tamil Nadu southpaw coming off a gritty 87 in the first innings, looked assured before perishing to off-spinner Roston Chase, bowled for 39 off 72 balls attempting a sweep. Captain Shubman Gill, promoted to No. 3, mustered just 13 before Chase struck again, trapping him lbw to claim his second scalp and briefly injecting tension with India at 95/3. Yet, the target—set after the West Indies folded for 390 in their second innings, 128 adrift of India's mammoth 518/5 declared—proved insurmountable, underscoring the gulf in class between the sides.
Rahul, 33 and rediscovering form after modest returns in the first Test, played the perfect foil, blending watchful defence with crisp drives to reach his half-century from 98 deliveries, including six boundaries. His unbeaten knock, the highest of the chase, was complemented by Dhruv Jurel's composed 6 not out, the young wicketkeeper steering the team home with a single off Gudakesh Motie. Chase toiled manfully with 2/36 from 11.2 overs, his variations eliciting turn on a wearing surface, but lacked support from pacers like Jayden Seales (0/29) and Alzarri Joseph (0/33), who leaked runs in the Delhi heat. The victory, India's eighth in their last nine tests against the West Indies overall, vaults them to No. 1 in the World Test Championship standings with 124 points, extending a home fortress unbeaten since 2012.
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This sweep not only avenges the 2018 home loss but also cements head coach Gautam Gambhir's transitional blueprint, blending youth like Sudharsan and Jurel with veterans like Rahul amid absences of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for workload management. For the West Indies, captain Kraigg Brathwaite lamented a "missed opportunity on a good track," pointing to dropped catches and batting collapses—totalling 255 in the first innings—as key failings in a tour that exposed their rebuilding woes under the new skipper. As the series concludes, India's juggernaut rolls on, eyeing the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where this momentum could prove invaluable on seaming pitches Down Under.
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