Nine months ago, a crowd of more than 12,000 struggled for entry to the Feroz Shah Kotla grounds early in the morning on a weekday to catch the first day of a Ranji Trophy fixture. With Virat Kohli, one of this city’s biggest sporting icons, making his comeback to the domestic circuit, fans thronged to New Delhi’s famous old stadium. Extra gates had to be opened, further seats had to be made available, security cover and deployment of local police had to be tightened on a whim.
Ahead of India’s second Test against the West Indies here starting Friday, the team’s first since Kohli announced his retirement from the longest format, no such fuss can be expected. Precious little local buzz can be felt in the national capital as Shubman Gill’s side arrive as the strong favourites to comfortably win the series against underwhelming opponents that look a far cry from the standards of the top tiers of the international game.
Stands are not expected to be teeming with fans, nor exactly do there seem to be preparations to deal with oversized, breathless crowds. Part of the reason for that is likely due to some of India’s biggest stars now stepping away from this format – Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin both joined Kohli in retirement earlier this year – and part of it is due to the one-sided nature of the contest.
India flexed an immeasurable amount of superiority over the West Indies in the opening Test in Ahmedabad last week, winning by an innings in under three days. Fanfare around that lopsided victory was relatively dim, especially after it came on the heels of India’s politically charged triumph at the T20 Asia Cup in Dubai this month, and expectations of an even game have fallen even flatter as the teams have arrived to play the final Test here.
While addressing the media on the eve of the match, skipper Gill was measured in describing how exactly the Indian team will be up and motivated to perform, particularly as the fans’ glare has already fallen on India’s white-ball tour of Australia set to start next Sunday, where Gill will assume responsibilities as the team’s ODI captain for the first time. “I don’t think your intensity drops depending on the opposition. It doesn’t matter who we are playing; West Indies, Bangladesh, England or Australia. We want to be able to play at our own intensity and we want to win,” Gill said.
So, with nobody injured and resting players unlikely, India are likely to stay true to their tried-and-tested combination. Conditions in Delhi, too, are likely to play a role in that.
As unusual showers in October fell on the national capital earlier this week, the threat of rain and overcast conditions loomed over the Feroz Shah Kotla. But if the rising temperatures during India’s sweltering morning training session on Thursday, and the weather forecast for the rest of the week, are anything to go by, the Test should go on relatively undisturbed.
That would mean conditions that are likely to favour the batters, especially early in the Test. While a turner that had spin on offer from Day 1 was rolled out in India’s last Test played here over two years ago against Australia, in white-ball cricket in the recent past, runs have flown with unending ease. A black soil deck typical of Kotla, a centre strip which remained covered throughout Thursday and looked on the drier side, is expected.
The opening two days, then, would be the best time for batting, and the spinners could come into play if (when?) the wicket breaks down a bit as the Test wears on. The conditions are tailor-made for India’s lineup, which bats deep thanks to the fine form of spinning all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, with both ball and bat.
On Thursday, West Indies skipper Roston Chase called on his team to embrace the pressure and perform, particularly as a batting unit, after disappointing outings in Ahmedabad as well as during the home series against Australia earlier this year.
There are exasperations about the West Indies being in a state of crisis; former legends have criticised an apparent lack of passion and called on the cricketing world to look into their dishevelled financial condition. A little defiance, especially at the start of play here on Friday, will go a long way for Chase and his team. It may breathe a bit of life into them after months of anguish, and it may do the same for this Test and series.
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
