New Delhi, Oct 10: Shubman Gill finally broke his record toss-losing streak as India’s Test captain, winning the toss in the second Test against West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. This marked Gill’s first toss victory in seven attempts, the longest any Indian captain has waited to win a toss in Test cricket and joint second overall.
The moment was celebrated with visible excitement by India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, vice-captain Ravindra Jadeja, and all-rounder Axar Patel, who burst into laughter and congratulated Gill, who smiled broadly while informing former India cricketer-turned broadcaster Murali Kartik of his decision to bat first.
Speaking after the toss, Gill said,
“The wicket looks good to bat on Day 1. Consistency is the key for us. To be able to repeat performances and to maintain the same intensity in every match. Honestly, not much has changed, but I definitely have more responsibilities now.”
The 25-year-old has also been appointed ODI captain for India’s upcoming tour of Australia, reflecting the selectors’ desire for consistent leadership across formats. “I like responsibilities and a very exciting future awaits me,” he added.
India fielded an unchanged lineup from their dominant first Test victory by an innings and 140 runs, marking the first time in 15 years the team played a home Test without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, or Ravichandran Ashwin.
West Indies made two changes to their squad, bringing in medium pacer Anderson Phillip for Johann Layne and Tevin Imlach for Brandon King. The Windies have not beaten India in their last 26 Tests across home and away series, a streak dating back to 2002.
India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (captain), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
West Indies XI: Tagenarine Chanderpaul, John Campbell, Alick Athanaze, Tevin Imlach, Shai Hope, Roston Chase (captain), Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales.