Anil Kumble acknowledged that the West Indies batsmen showed tenacity and forced the hosts to bat again, but he also noted that the Shubman Gill-led team might have carried out their strategies more successfully.
The West Indian tail-enders’ resolute batting, which prolonged the innings and thwarted the Indian onslaught, was commended by the seasoned spinner.
Anil Kumble, the former head coach of India, gave his assessment of the bowling display of his country against the West Indies in the second Test match at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. India is now ahead 1-0 in the two-match Test series, and the second match is also going their way.
The pitch was quite well-behaved. Applying a bit more pressure to the batters was one thing India could have done better. However, the West Indian batters also deserve praise. The West Indies batters, in my opinion, put forth a lot of effort, but I understand that we’re viewing it through the lens of Indian bowling. The first thing their coach, Daren Sammy, said when I spoke with him briefly yesterday morning was, “I wish our batters could apply themselves more,” Kumble wrote on JioHotstar.
They have now proven to the coach that they are capable. Both yesterday and today, we witnessed that. Even the tail-enders did a great job of applying themselves. In my opinion, the No. 10 and No. 11 batted exceptionally well to irritate the Indian spinners. India might have been able to induce errors by applying a little more pressure through field placements’, he continued.
Hope is considering the post of No. 4 seriously: Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble praised Shai Hope, a batsman and wicketkeeper for the West Indies, after his outstanding century against India in the second Test. Since it was Hope’s first Test century in eight years, his knock was very memorable. Kumble said that Hope’s technique had significantly improved and that he looked much more calm at the crease. Hope’s innings, he continued, demonstrated a fresh sense of accountability, highlighting the fact that the hitter is now taking his part in the West Indies red-ball system more seriously.
India was forced to bat again after the West Indies went over the follow-on mark. Shai Hope struck me as being extraordinary. His potential is well known to us. He has done it time and time again in white-ball cricket. He also had a fantastic start to his Test career. We went on a tour of the West Indies when I was a coach, I recall,” Kumble recalled.
He looked the part, batted wonderfully, got a hundred, and played a practice game before to the commencement of the series. Although he hasn’t played as well since, he looked really strong when he reached his first fifty after 31 innings and now a hundred today. He’s obviously taken that No. 4 position very seriously now, and the West Indies will want to capitalise on that going forward,” he continued.