Media365
NEW DELHI: The India vs West Indies second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi wasn’t just about intense cricketing action—it also had its share of lighthearted moments on the field. From Ravindra Jadeja cracking jokes and Yashasvi Jaiswal chatting with Shubman Gill to Kuldeep Yadav celebrating wickets, the atmosphere was lively throughout.One particularly funny incident occurred during West Indies’ first innings. KL Rahul, standing at slip, pulled out a lip balm from his pocket and applied it on his lips. A few yards away, Gill walked over and exchanged a few words, resulting in a hilarious banter that had teammates and fans in splits.
India had begun the series on a dominant note, winning the first Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 140 runs, setting a high benchmark for the visitors.Gill, in only his second match as India’s Test captain, continued to shine. On the second day in Delhi, the 26-year-old scored a blistering hundred, marking his fifth Test century as skipper. Since taking over from Rohit Sharma, runs have flowed effortlessly from Gill’s bat, and he has continued to ride a scorching purple patch against the Caribbean side.Watch the video hereGill’s tally of five centuries in his first year as captain is the most by any player in their debut year in charge. He also equalled Virat Kohli’s record for the most Test hundreds as a captain in a calendar year—Kohli had reached the milestone in 2017 and 2018.Remarkably, Gill achieved his fifth red-ball century in just his 12th innings as captain, behind only Alastair Cook (nine innings) and Sunil Gavaskar (10 innings). In terms of matches, he reached the feat in seven Tests, equalling Don Bradman, while Cook (five matches) and Gavaskar (six matches) got there faster.During this consistent purple patch, Gill boasts a staggering batting average of 84.81, second only to Bradman’s 101.51 among those who have captained their teams at least seven times in Test cricket.
