Ahmedabad, Oct 3 (UNI) Test cricket has often been described as a stern but generous teacher. On the second day of the opening Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium, it rewarded India with a harvest of patience and flair as Dhruv Jurel carved his maiden Test hundred and Ravindra Jadeja produced an effortless sixth century, guiding the hosts to 448 for five in 128 overs at stumps.
Earlier, it was KL Rahul who set the morning in motion with a story of redemption. Resuming on 53, he was determined to erase the frustration of nine years without a Test hundred at home. His innings was not one of fireworks but of graft and serenity.
Each stroke told of a man reacquainted with his craft: a late dab here, a tucked single there, a sweep that just beat the man in the deep. When the moment finally arrived, Rahul removed his helmet, kissed the Indian badge, and looked skywards- a hundred that was as much about the journey as the milestone. His dismissal for 100, edging Jomel Warrican through to Justin Greaves, felt almost incidental to the symbolism of the innings.
From there, the script belonged to Jurel and Jadeja. At 218 for three at lunch and 274 for four at drinks, the game still seemed delicately poised. Then came the partnership that broke West Indian resolve. Together they crafted 206 runs for the fifth wicket, an alliance of contrasting styles yet united in intent.
Jurel batted like an old soul in a young cricketer’s frame. He reached his fifty in 90-odd balls, combining cuts behind point with fluent drives through cover. In the 90s, where many falter, he seemed to grow taller. A deliberate late cut, a forceful whip through mid-on, and finally a firm stroke down the ground- and the debut hundred was his.
The celebration was understated, a bat raised, a smile shared with Jadeja, but the ovation from the Ahmedabad spectators told him he had arrived. His 125, laced with 15 boundaries and three sixes, ended with Khary Pierre’s maiden Test wicket, yet the applause followed him all the way back.
Jadeja’s knock was poetry with a harder edge. He reverse-swept, lofted with abandon, and drilled boundaries that whistled across the turf. His 104, off 176 balls, was marked by five towering sixes and his familiar sword-swishing celebration, followed by an embrace with Washington Sundar. By stumps, he was still unbeaten on 104, Sundar beside him on 9.
For the West Indies, it was a day of toil under a relentless sun and relentless batting. A few smiles flickered- Pierre’s maiden wicket, Warrican’s drift and turn- but too often they watched leather sail to the ropes. Their reviews misfired, their fields stretched, their bowlers laboured.
As the shadows lengthened, India’s dominance felt absolute. At 448 for five, with runs in the bank and Jadeja anchored at the crease, the hosts had not just built a total- they had seized the narrative of this Test. For the visitors, the third day promises to be a stern examination of spirit, for India have already written theirs in bold strokes.
