New Delhi: India’s spin sensation Kuldeep Yadav once again proved his mastery with the ball, orchestrating a dramatic collapse of the West Indies batting line-up on Day 3 of the second and final Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Kuldeep’s devastating spell of 5 wickets for 82 runs left the Caribbean side reeling at 217 for 8, struggling to recover from India’s imposing first-innings total of 518/5 declared.
The West Indies resumed the day at 140/4, attempting to stabilize their innings, but Kuldeep’s wrist-spin proved too potent. Key batsman Shai Hope, who had been anchoring the innings, was dismissed for 36, losing his off-stump to a sharp delivery that left the visitors exposed. Kuldeep continued his onslaught, trapping Tevin Imlach and Justin Greaves lbw, while seamer Mohammed Siraj accounted for Jomel Warrican, leaving the West Indies in dire straits.
A brief resistance came from Khary Pierre and Anderson Phillip, who stitched together a 47-run partnership for the ninth wicket. However, Kuldeep’s relentless precision, supported by Ravindra Jadeja’s 3 wickets for 46 runs, ensured that India maintained complete control. The visitors trailed by 270 runs, a deficit that positioned India to enforce the follow-on and push for a series sweep.
Despite the carnage, the West Indies showed a glimmer of resilience late in the day. John Campbell, unbeaten on 87, and Shai Hope, 66*, forged an unbroken 138-run partnership, taking the score to 173/2 at stumps in their second innings, still 97 runs behind India’s first innings total. Their partnership offered hope that the visitors could avoid a humiliating innings defeat.
India’s commanding performance, highlighted by Kuldeep Yadav’s match-turning spell, has firmly placed the hosts in control of the Test and the series. The day’s events underscored the lethal combination of wrist-spin mastery and disciplined support from the Indian bowling unit, signaling that the West Indies will need extraordinary effort to stage a comeback on Day 4.