India cruise to 10-wicket win to sweep series

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ICC
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India completed a 2-0 sweep over the Windies with a 10-wicket victory on the third day of the second and final Test in Hyderabad on Sunday, 14 October.

India, with Umesh Yadav in the lead again, set up a chase of only 72 runs and reached the target in just 16.1 overs. Virat Kohli and his men have now completed 10 consecutive series victories at home. It was also India’s seventh straight series win over the Windies.

Openers Prithvi Shaw and KL Rahul, who both scored unbeaten 33s, steered India past the finish line in the final session of the day after the Windies were bowled out for 127 in their second innings.

India started the day at 308/4 in the first innings, three runs adrift of the Windies first-innings total. Ajinkya Rahane was the first wicket to fall, as he was undone by extra bounce from Jason Holder in the 84th over. The Indian vice-captain could add just five runs to his score from the previous day, edging the ball to gully after scoring 80.

Ravindra Jadeja, who scored his maiden Test hundred in the first Test, was dismissed for a duck by the Windies captain just two balls later.

Holder put up an outstanding performance with the ball, becoming the first Windies pacer to clinch a five-wicket haul in India since 1994. His figures of 5/56 gave the visitors a way back into the game, despite three Indian batsmen scoring half-centuries in the innings.

Shannon Gabriel played the perfect second fiddle to his captain, troubling Rishabh Pant with short deliveries and dismissing him in the 87th over. It was the second consecutive time that the Indian wicket-keeper batsman had fallen on 92.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who replaced his spin-partner Jadeja in the middle, added 35 runs lower down the order. Kuldeep Yadav and Umesh could not resist for long and returned to the pavilion with single-digit scores, adding just eight runs between them.

Seamer Shardul Thakur, who could bowl just 10 balls in the first innings before picking a groin injury, played out 12 balls to add 28 important runs with Ashwin, extending India’s lead to 56 runs.

Having restricted the Indian lead to a small one, the Windies gave themselves a chance, but their batting unit was taken apart by Umesh, who had the opportunity to clinch a hat-trick twice on the day.

Kraigg Brathwaite was dismissed for a two-ball duck by the speedster with a delivery that caught the edge of the bat and was collected by a diving Pant.

Kieran Powell, Brathwaite’s opening partner, also returned to the pavilion without troubling the scorers. This time it was Ashwin who claimed the scalp, extracting an edge from Powell’s bat with a quick off-break.

Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer tried to steady the ship after the two quick wickets with a 39-run partnership for the third wicket. Just when it seemed like Windies were getting out of trouble, Hetmyer was enticed by a looped delivery from Kuldeep and tried to slog it across the line. He couldn’t find the middle of the bat and a thick edge flew to Cheteshwar Pujara at point.

Hope lost his wicket in the very next over, edging a quick delivery from Jadeja to Rahane at first slip. Roston Chase, the only centurion of the match, was Umesh’s eighth scalp of the game. The right-hander could add just six runs before the pacer disturbed his woodwork in the 25th over.

Umesh followed this up with a wicket off his very next ball, dismissing Shane Dowrich for a golden duck. The wicket-keeper was undone by pace, his off stump uprooted by a fiery in-swinger.

Sunil Ambris and Holder led the Windies resistance after tea and put up a 38-run stand for the seventh wicket. It was Jadeja who broke the partnership, getting a faint edge off the Windies skipper’s bat. Ambris, who played well for his 95-ball 38, also fell to the left-arm spinner.

The last two batsmen – Jomel Warrican and Gabriel – were dismissed by Ashwin and Umesh, who completed his maiden ten-wicket haul in Test cricket with the dismissal. He returned figures of 10/133 for the game.

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