West Indies piled on 138 runs without losing a wicket in the final session on the third day of the second Test against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
The visitor ended the day at 173 for two after following on, just 97 runs short of paring scores.
John Campbell and Shai Hope led the defiance, but all-rounder Khary Pierre said it was the tail’s early-morning fight that had sparked the recovery.
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“We pitched in the dressing room; Daren Sammy and the coaching staff insisted on taking on a session at a time. This is the first time we have been able to win a session in the two Test matches so far. It’s about application. I think the lower order showed a little bit of fight, and we went out there with that same kind of approach. I think once you have the mindset to bat long on the wicket, you can. I think that was the message going out to bat in the second innings,” Pierre said.
Kuldeep Yadav nabbed three wickets in the first session, but a 46-run partnership between Pierre and Anderson Phillip dragged West Indies’ first innings, forcing India to take the field after the lunch interval.
In its second essay, West Indies showed signs of a timid surrender, similar to its previous collapses in this series, but Campbell and Hope rose to the occasion and brought up an unbeaten 138-run partnership.
“I think the two batters know they have laid a platform for us. The wicket is only going to deteriorate more, so the more runs we can pile on, the greater challenge it will be for the Indian batters. We have to continue the way we are going. These guys are set when they come tomorrow. Hopefully, they can continue, and the batsmen that come, it gives them a lot of confidence also going into the fourth day to make a game out of it,” Pierre said.
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said that his team had contemplated batting for a second time before opting to field again. Pierre revealed that he had expected India to utilise the last traces of the pitch’s batter-friendly attributes.
“Actually, it was a bit surprising that they went back to bowl. I knew the wicket was still a good one from having personally batted on the wicket. I was surprised, but it’s India and they want to get the win, and probably they didn’t think that they needed to go back and bat, so be it. We took up the challenge to bat. I would say the match is still on,” Pierre said.
Published on Oct 12, 2025
