IND vs WI, 2nd Test: Campbell, Hope keep West Indies alive with defiant stand
John Campbell (87 batting, 145b, 9×4, 2×6) and Shai Hope (66 batting, 107b, 8×4, 2×6) were able to muster up enough resolve to stretch the second Test to the fourth day and diminish India’s chances of an innings victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Their unbeaten 138-run partnership came in the trenches after West Indies was reduced to 35 for two during its follow-on. It was only 97 runs behind at 173 for two by the time stumps were drawn on the third day, and had the prospect of eking out a lead within reach.
India had its tail up courtesy of a 269-run first-innings advantage which came about after Kuldeep Yadav tore through the middle order on his way to fifth five-wicket haul. It consolidated further with two quick strikes.
Mohammed Siraj drew out a mistake from Tagenarine Chanderpaul by playing on his mind with a packed on-side field. Chanderpaul tried to squeeze a short-arm jab through a short leg, a midwicket and a square leg but offered a top-edge to a diving Shubman Gill at midwicket.
Washington Sundar’s length delivery turned square and flattened Alick Athanaze’s off stump
However, Campbell launched his sweep-laden counter attack and became the first visiting batter to cross 50 runs in this series. He started with a delicate lap sweep off Ravindra Jadeja through fine leg, but by the time he swept Washington Sundar through square leg, he was muscling his hits.
India hoped Kuldeep would impart a first-innings-like destruction, but Campbell’s sweep enveloped his tricks too and parked him over the midwicket boundary.
Washington’s drift into the left-hander created a series of DRS reviews, but putting his front foot outside the off-stump’s line came to his rescue every time.
Hope breached the fence regularly enough to show he was no supporting act in the partnership. He chipped Washington over long on moments after arriving at the crease and followed it with a drill past the bowler just a delivery later. His second maximum came with a lash against Kuldeep.
Jasprit Bumrah was held back till the 33rd over, presumably to conserve his body through the load of back-to-back days in the field. But Hope flicked him through midwicket and punched through cover-point in the same over.
West Indies’ second-half effort bore little resemblance to the meek display that had transpired earlier in the day.
In the morning session, when batters looked out for turn, Kuldeep bowled faster, flatter, and made hay with his angle to complete his fifth Test fifer in just his 15th match.
Hope was castled as he brought his bat through the wrong line. Even though a stock delivery, the ball carried on with the angle and crashed into the off stump.
Kuldeep accounted for the second overnight batter two overs later, but this time with turn. Tevin Imlach retreated into his crease but missed his whip and was adjudged leg before upon a DRS check. Justin Greaves threw away his start when he tried a reverse sweep off Kuldeep, but missed and got trapped plumb in front.
West Indies’ first innings started with the stiff resistance of Chanderpaul and Athanaze, and Anderson Phillip ensured his defiant stay bookended the middle slump. Before Campbell’s essay later in the day, Phillip’s 93 balls spent at the crease was the longest by a West Indies batter this series.
Bumrah put his full range of tricks to use, from slower yorkers to bouncers, but Phillip managed to frustrate India. Khary Pierre emerged a vital second fiddle and extended the ninth-wicket stand to 46 runs, but Bumrah extracted the faintest of reverse swing on a sweltering day to take Pierre’s off stump and end the partnership.
Kuldeep got a spell just in time to complete his fifer. He got another delivery to zip straight and thud into Jayden Seales’ pad for a leg before dismissal, thus leaving Phillip stranded on 24.
But Hope and Campbell’s rescue act later meant West Indies had better to show for its effort than his rearguard.
Published on Oct 12, 2025
