West Indies tour of India 2025 | Second Test Preview and Predictions
After picking up an innings victory in the first Test, Shubman Gill will be looking to secure his first-ever Test series win as captain as India host the West Indies in Delhi for the second Test, with the visitors looking to put up a better fight after a big hammering.
Ahead of the second Test between India and the West Indies, here are our preview and predictions.
West Indies tour of India 2025 | 2nd Test | 09:30 IST, October 10–14
India had more or less a clean first game, with captain Gill seeing his side tick off most boxes. After being asked to bowl first, Mohammed Siraj ran through the West Indies top order before Jasprit Bumrah wrapped up the innings for a paltry 162. All bowlers had a strong showing at Ahmedabad, with the spinners coming into play on the third day in the second innings. Veteran Ravindra Jadeja shone with a four-wicket haul to hand India an innings win.
With the bat, India again had a near-flawless game. Barring Sai Sudharsan, all of their top-order batters got runs and time in the middle, with KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, and Jadeja registering centuries. Gill himself scored a crucial 50 and will expect his batters to carry over their form to Delhi.
Windies, on the other hand, have an uphill task on their hands and their backs against the wall, coming into this game on the back of one of their heaviest defeats ever against the Men in Blue. Captain Roston Chase has been vocal about the team’s struggles, as well as the structural issues in the WI system with regard to training facilities. The Caribbean team are seriously struggling with the bat and have the second-worst batting average in a year in the history of the game.
162 and 146 on a pitch on which they should’ve applied themselves better wouldn’t have helped Windies’ confidence levels. Alick Athanaze’s 38 in the second innings and Justin Greaves’ 32 in the first were the only two instances of a WI batter looking comfortable in the middle for a while. Their batting line-up of John Campbell, Athanaze, Brandon King, Shai Hope, and Roston Chase boasts plenty of experience and talent, and Chase will hope his batters show better intent and fight in Delhi.
If there’s one silver lining for the visitors, it’s their pace attack. The likes of Jayden Seales, Johann Layne, and Greaves have shown some promise, with Layne impressing on debut. Their spin attack of Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre, and Chase will be key once again.
In Delhi, the spinners in both camps will play a big role. Ultimately, the hosts come in as the undeniable favourites and are expected to wrap up the series 2–0.
Fantasy XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Alick Athanaze, Shubman Gill, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Jomel Warrican
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Winners Prediction: India