New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) India needed exactly an hour on day five to complete a seven-wicket win over West Indies and seal a 2-0 series sweep at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday. KL Rahul anchored the chase with an unbeaten 58 off 108 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes to help India easily hunt down 121.

The victory marks India’s first Test series win under Shubman Gill’s captaincy, following the drawn 2-2 result in England earlier this year. Though the margin suggests an easy victory, India were to earn it in New Delhi and defeat West Indies for the tenth straight time in Tests.

West Indies, asked to follow on, refused to fold easily, thanks to John Campbell and Shai Hope’s twin centuries and a defiant last-wicket 79-run stand which led to the contest stretching to day five. But once play resumed, India made quick work of the chase despite an early wobble and earn 12 valuable points to their World Test Championship tally, where they are still at number three and their points percentage now at 61.9.

It was a brave fight from the West Indies, who showed grit and character after a heavy innings defeat in Ahmedabad. Yet, in the end, India’s depth and composure, despite spending 200 overs on the field, proved to be decisive, as Rahul, Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal were amongst the run-makers, while Kuldeep Yadav picked eight wickets on a pitch which was slow and docile.

The day began with KL Rahul and B Sai Sudharsan playing out four maidens before the latter broke the shackles by dancing down the pitch to loft Jomel Warrican through the line over mid-off for four.

Though it was followed by a bit of prodding and defending against Warrican and Khary Pierre, Rahul kept India steady by dancing down the pitch again – this time off Pierre – and loft over long-on for six, before whipping the spinner off his wrists through mid-wicket for four more.

Sudharsan added only nine runs to his overnight total, before his outside edge on an attempted drive was caught by a sharp one-handed diving catch from Shai Hope at slip off Roston Chase’s bowling.

Rahul continued to be at his pristine best by sweeping Warrican for a flat six over square leg fence, while Shubman Gill stepped down the pitch to loft Chase over long-on for another maximum.

A ball later, Gill went back in the crease to pull Chase through square leg for four, before miscuing a loft to mid-wicket off the West Indies’ skipper. Rahul, though, got his fifty through a sweep fetching him required two runs and followed it up by reverse-sweeping Warrican through backward point for a boundary.

After some rock solid forward defence, Dhurv Jurel got off the mark with a late dab off Chase going through third man for four, before Rahul finished off the chase with a backfoot punch fetching him a boundary and seal a comfortable win for India.

Brief Scores: India 518/5 dec and 124/3 in 35.2 overs (KL Rahul 58 not out, B Sai Sudharsan 39; Roston Chase 2-36, Jomel Warrican 1-39) beat West Indies 248 and 390 in 118.5 overs (John Campbell 115, Shai Hope 103; Jasprit Bumrah 3-44, Kuldeep Yadav 3-104) by seven wickets

–IANS

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