IND vs WI | Rahul, Jurel, Jadeja tons deflate West Indies as India practically cement win on Day 2

Today at 5:07 PM

India ended in a strong position on Day 2 of the first Test against West Indies in Ahmedabad, as they raced into the lead early before inflating it to 286 runs by the end of day's play. KL Rahul converted his unbeaten 53 into a ton before Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja also reached three figures.

Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja stitched together a double century stand to take India into ascendancy on Day 2 in Ahmedabad against the West Indies

‌Brief score: IND 448/5 [Jurel 130, Jadeja 104*; Chase 2/90 (24)] lead WI 162 by 286 runs

Resuming from an overnight score of 121/2 with KL Rahul and Shubman Gill incumbent on the crease, India began with confidence as the former deftly struck the second ball off Jayden Seales for four. However, the quick hit back by finding the opener's outside edge to cap off the over, only for the red cherry to fly through the slip cordon for yet another boundary. The duo showed utmost control to accumulate over 50 runs through the first over without much ado before the skipper brought up his eighth half-century in Test cricket. However, Gill got carried away a little as he attempted a fancy reverse sweep the very next over but only managed to find first slip, handing the Maroons their opening breakthrough of the day. Nevertheless, it did little to disrupt Rahul's momentum who brought up his 11th Test century at the stroke of Lunch while Dhruv Jurel settled in seamlessly, the pair heading to the break with the score 215/3.

The hiatus proved to be Rahul's undoing as a lapse of concentration had him play a sloppy cover drive on the up almost immediately after Lunch, leading to a good low catch from Justin Greaves and an addition to Jomel Warrican's wicket column. In walked Ravindra Jadeja and with the new ball just 12 overs away, the southpaw had the license to kill. Jurel paved the way with a ferocious pull over midwicket off Roston Chase, before Jadeja struck a couple of his own in the next over by Warrican. The spell of play brought India 42 runs in seven overs, and the run rate only petered out once the Windies refused to take the new ball considering the damage their rivals could do against the hard ball. Jurel soon after brought up his half-century with a resplendent cut for four and Jadeja followed with a 75-ball effort, the duo taking India safely through to Tea at 326/4 with India's lead by this stage 164, and the stand worth over 100.

The Caribbean outfit finally decided to take the new ball an over into the third session, with Johann Layne and Jayden Seales taking up the duty. The two managed to find some shape with the shiny SG but it did little to change the game's trajectory as both batters continued to move closer to three-figures, the lead soaring past 200 in the over before drinks. In the 116th over, Jurel finally ended his wait for a maiden Test ton by flamboyantly piercing the gap through the leg side with adance down the track, celebrated with an equally tstylish military-themed celebration. An unsurprising accelaration followed, hallmarked with a brilliant straight six over Warrican in the 122nd over, but the wicket-keeper batter could not stay long enough to celebrate Jadeja's hundred as he nicked behind off Kharry Poerre for 125, thus ending a 206-run stand. Nevertheless, Jadeja amped up his efforts with a huge maximum the next over and a couple later brought up a 168-ball ton, as India ended the day on 448/5 with their lead bordering on 300.

Greatest

Last name Ever.

First name Greatest.
— Heisenberg ☢ (@internetumpire)

Rarity

Cricketers like Ravindra Jadeja are a rarity. Amidst all the superstars of the game, Jadeja, at times, goes unsung.

This Great has over 7,000 international runs and over 600 int’l wickets to his name. has so often been India’s man for crisis.
— Rahul Rawat (@rawatrahul9)

Interesting

Every time Sir Ravindra Jadeja does wonders, this tweet comes up.
— ` (@Itz_Bl3ze)

Lucky

Indian team is lucky to have a cricketer like
— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang)

Greatest

Ravindra Jadeja hundred moment.🔥🇮🇳

The greatest all-rounder 🐐
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12)

Opportunity grabbed

Before the start of the Test series, Dhruv Jurel had said that he wants to make the most of the opportunity that has come his way.

He grabs the opportunity by getting his maiden Test 100. 🫡
— Moulin (@Moulinparikh)

Just so good

Just so good to be back playing on normal Indian decks

Vital tons for Jurel and a Jadeja who continues his impressive form in Test cricket with the bat.
— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS)

Congrats

Congratulations to all 10 people who came to witness Sir Ravindra Jadeja masterclass in Ahmedabad today.
— Heisenberg ☢ (@internetumpire)

That batter

Jadeja is that batter now... Opposition asks themselves, "how do we get him out"..... For an allrounder, this guy is mighty consistent in Tests.
— arfan (@Im__Arfan)

Unreal