Shubman Gill turned a difficult start into a day to remember, scoring his 10th Test century after a costly mix-up that saw Yashasvi Jaiswal run out early in the innings. The incident could have easily unsettled him, but the Indian captain showed great composure, regrouped quickly, and reached his hundred during the second session on Saturday.
Gill, who had already impressed with record-breaking performances during his first Test series as captain in England, carried that form into his maiden home series as skipper. His century on Saturday marked his fifth as captain in just 12 innings, making him the second-fastest Indian and third overall to reach that milestone. Only Alastair Cook, who did it in nine innings, and Sunil Gavaskar, who achieved it in ten, got there quicker.
This innings also placed Gill in elite company. He became only the third Indian captain to score five Test centuries in a calendar year, joining Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli managed the feat twice, though he needed 18 innings, while Tendulkar had four centuries as captain in 1997.
Resuming his innings on 20, Gill played with elegance and authority, striking 16 boundaries and two sixes. He reached his century with a crisp boundary off left-arm spinner Khary Pierre, raising his bat to a roaring crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Throughout the day, the 24-year-old built valuable partnerships, adding 91 runs with Nitish Kumar Reddy and another 102 with wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who contributed a fluent 44.
Earlier, India had suffered an early setback when Jaiswal, unbeaten on 175 overnight, was run out following a mix-up with Gill. After nudging the ball to mid-off, Jaiswal set off for a single, but Gill stayed put, leaving the young opener stranded and short of what would have been his third Test double century. The dismissal ended a superb innings that had set India up strongly on Day 1.
Despite the early setback, Gill stayed composed and steadily built his innings. His precise shot selection, especially the straight drives and late cuts, stood out as he found gaps with ease. The West Indies bowlers struggled to maintain consistency, with only Jomel Warrican making a notable impact by taking three wickets, including those of Reddy and KL Rahul.
Gill eventually declared India’s innings after Jurel was bowled by Roston Chase with a delivery that kept low, giving his bowlers plenty of time to push for victory.
Having already won the first Test by an innings, India are now firmly in control of the series, with their young captain leading from the front both with the bat and through calm, confident leadership.
