New Delhi, Oct 12 (UNI) Kuldeep Yadav once again showed why he remains India’s most lethal spin weapon in home conditions, as his artistry with flight and turn tore through the West Indies batting order on the third morning of the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
By lunch, West Indies were tottering at 217 for 8, their innings undone by a spell of classical wrist-spin that was as deceptive as it was destructive. Kuldeep, with 4for 72 in 22 probing overs, led India’s charge, ensuring that the visitors’ overnight hope quickly turned into despair.
The Delhi spectators, accustomed to watching Kuldeep mesmerize visiting sides, had much to cheer for. The left-arm spinner came into the attack early, sensing the rough patches forming outside the right-handers’ off stump.
From his very first over, the ball gripped, dipped, and drifted wickedly — a signal that he was in complete rhythm.
Shai Hope was his first victim. Having looked settled on 36, Hope pressed forward to defend a delivery that appeared to turn but instead went on with the angle, beating the bat and shattering the off-stump. Kuldeep, arms aloft, celebrated with a quiet smile — it was the breakthrough India needed, and he knew it.
That dismissal opened the floodgates. Tevin Imlach, patient and composed till then, was lured into indecision by flight. Expecting turn, he played late and was struck in front. The review was in vain — three reds confirmed Kuldeep’s dominance. The West Indies dugout could only shake their heads.
With both overnight batsmen gone, Kuldeep sensed opportunity. He toyed with the new men like a chess master setting traps. Justin Greaves, eager to break free, played a few sparkling shots but lost his focus against the wrong delivery — a well-flighted leg-break that dipped on him. Attempting a reverse sweep, he was hit plumb in front.
Kuldeep’s third wicket was pure theatre — guile meeting poor judgment.
If the spinners wove the web, Mohammed Siraj added pace and aggression to it. His fiery spell saw Jomel Warrican inside-edge a delivery onto his stumps, leaving the West Indies seven down and staring down a familiar abyss.
Khary Pierre offered a flicker of resistance. Unfazed, he played a couple of confident strokes, including a crisp cut off Washington Sundar and a brave lofted drive off Jadeja. He even overturned an lbw decision after DRS showed the ball missing leg stump. But these were moments of defiance in an otherwise collapsing morning.
By the time the umpires called lunch, West Indies were 217 for 8 in 72 overs, with Pierre on 19 and Anderson Phillip on 1. The lower order had added some runs, but India’s control was absolute.
Kuldeep Yadav was the hero of the session — subtle, smart, and relentless. Every ball had purpose: the drift in, the dip that deceived, and the turn that kept batsmen second-guessing.
Supported ably by Siraj’s movement and Sundar’s tight lines, Kuldeep made sure the West Indies never looked comfortable.
For the visitors, the morning was yet another reminder of their struggle against spin in Indian conditions. For India, it was reassurance that their spin ace remains as dangerous as ever.
Score at lunch, Day 3: West Indies 1st innings: 217/8 in 72 overs (Khary Pierre 19, Anderson Phillip 19*, Kuldeep Yadav 4/72)
India 1st innings: 518/5 declared in 134.2 overs
