India piled on the runs against West Indies, with centuries from KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, and Ravindra Jadeja extending their lead to 286 by the close of play on day two. Remarkably, this was the third instance in 2025—after Leeds and Manchester—where India produced three centurions in a single innings. They ended the day firmly in control at 448/5.
KL Rahul scores a historic century
The morning session of the second day highlighted the challenges faced by a visiting side with an inexperienced bowling attack in Indian conditions. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill looked untroubled as they smoothly guided India past West Indies’ first-innings total before the first drinks break. West Indies had a half-chance when Jayden Seales induced an outside edge from Rahul, but the ball flew between the wicketkeeper and first slip, who was positioned slightly wide. Gill appeared in complete control, bringing up his eighth Test fifty with ease.
After the break, West Indies made tactical adjustments. Left-arm spinner Kharry Pierre, who had been bowling around the stumps, switched to over the wicket to target the rough patches outside the leg stump, a move meant to restrict runs. Rahul initially defended patiently before executing a premeditated reverse sweep. However, when Gill attempted a similar shot against Roston Chase in the following over, he ended up nicking it to first slip. The spinners maintained pressure for a sustained period, effectively slowing the scoring rate. Just before the interval, Rahul calmly reached his 11th Test century — his second on home soil.
After lunch, India sought to accelerate the pace and break the scoring lull. Jomel Warrican managed to deceive Rahul with a flighted delivery, leading to his dismissal at extra cover. However, Ravindra Jadeja and Dhruv Jurel quickly took charge of the innings. Jurel struck the first six of the match, pulling Chase over deep square leg, while Jadeja attacked Warrican with two lofted sixes over long on in the same over. Their aggressive stroke play ensured that India’s lead continued to grow steadily.
Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja join the party
In a bid to regain control before the new ball, Chase turned back to Jayden Seales, hoping that reverse swing might bring a breakthrough. But Jadeja and Jurel stayed unflustered, stretching India’s lead beyond 100 by the second session’s drinks break. With the pitch starting to misbehave — the ball keeping low and turning sharply — Chase persisted with his spinners, but Jadeja dominated. He smashed his fourth six, again over long on against Warrican, moving past MS Dhoni’s tally of sixes in Tests (79). Only Rishabh Pant, Virender Sehwag, and Rohit Sharma now remain ahead of him on that list.
When West Indies took the new ball in the 98th over, they managed to curb the boundary flow for a while but still couldn’t crack India’s strong partnership. Jurel showcased maturity beyond his experience, reaching his maiden Test century late in the final session. Displaying the temperament and attacking flair reminiscent of Rishabh Pant, he compiled a superb 125 off 210 balls, featuring 15 fours and three sixes. His dismissal — caught behind off Pierre — came unexpectedly and against the run of play.
Just three overs after Jurel’s departure, Jadeja completed his own century, capping off a remarkable day for India. His composed innings reinforced his value as a reliable middle-order performer. By stumps, Jadeja had surpassed Rahul to become India’s second-highest run-scorer in Tests for 2025, steering India to a dominant position after another day of batting brilliance.
Brief scores: India 448/5 (Dhruv Jurel 125, Ravindra Jadeja 104*, KL Rahul 100, Shubman Gill 50; Roston Chase 2-90) lead West Indies 162 (Justin Greaves 32; Mohammed Siraj 4-40, Jasprit Bumrah 3-42, Kuldeep Yadav 2-25) by 286 runs