It was in 1987 that India last lost a Test match in Delhi. The Sir Viv Richards-led West Indies won that game by five wickets. That was the West Indies team of old — a side that was fearsome and ruthless, both at home and away.
Fast forward to 2025, and the West Indies have lost a home series 3–0 to Australia, which included a shocking 27 all out. They then went on to lose a T20I series to Nepal before suffering another defeat to India in Ahmedabad — this time inside two and a half days.
While they still manage to produce results in limited-overs cricket, the West Indies’ red-ball fortunes have been grim. Since winning a Test series against Zimbabwe in 2022–23, they have failed to win another. It’s safe to say they are in a terminal decline in the Test format.
In an attempt to lift the team’s morale, Sir Viv and Richie Richardson — both members of the victorious 1987 side — along with Brian Lara, arrived in Delhi to give the team a pep talk ahead of the second Test, which starts on October 10. Much of the attention in recent days has centred around the West Indies and the functioning of their cricketing structure.
For Roston Chase and his team, a Test victory has remained elusive for quite some time. As they prepare to face India, they’ll be eager to finally break that streak. A win would level the series and could spark a wave of change for the Caribbean side.
“Obviously, we are down right now, but it has to change at some point — and the change can start from now,” Chase said on the eve of the Delhi Test. “But it starts with the belief and the mindset of each and every player, and just keeping the guys motivated that we can still play some positive cricket.”
While there is pressure both externally and internally to perform, things remain relaxed in the Indian dressing room. Head coach Gautam Gambhir hosted the team at his residence two days before the start of the match. After delivering a complete performance and thrashing the West Indies in the first Test, the Shubman Gill-led Indian team is confident of sealing the series in Delhi — a venue where they haven’t lost this century.
There was good energy in the practice session. Familiarity with the black-soil pitches also works in favour of the hosts. The pitch is expected to turn, and India have strong spin options in Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar. They could opt for an additional spinner in Axar Patel, though that appears unlikely as Nitish Kumar Reddy is expected to retain his place.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate spoke about the team’s long-term objective of developing a seam-bowling all-rounder. Unless there’s a last-minute injury, Nitish is set to hold on to his spot.
There is an outside chance of Prasidh Krishna playing, but with WTC points at stake, Gill’s focus remains on fielding the strongest XI.
“If there’s an opportunity, we’d definitely be looking to play him (Prasidh Krishna),” said Gill in the pre-match press conference. “As of now, we want to play our strongest XI. Because in the WTC, you have to win almost 70 per cent of your matches to secure a place in the final. So, depending on where we are on the table… These are still early stages. We want to play the best XI available to us.”
Probable XIs
India: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja (vc), Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
West Indies: John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, Roston Chase (c), Shai Hope, Justin Greaves, Khary Pierre, Jomel Warrican (vc), Johann Layne/Jediah Blades, Jayden Seales.
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