India: Having registered a comprehensive innings win in Ahmedabad, the Indian juggernaut is again expected to roll on and crush the West Indian team in the second Test starting in Delhi on October 10. Shubman Gill’s team would like to do an encore in Delhi, as every Test match has assumed significance since the launch of the World Test Championship (WTC) in 2019.
However, in terms of WTC rankings, India would gain only a solitary rating point, as per the ranking predictor on the International Cricket Council’s website, if they win again. India is presently placed third on WTC table and a win in Delhi would help the home team in the two-year WTC cycle (2025-2027) at the end of which the two finalists would be spotted. On the other hand, a 0-2 defeat would mean that the West Indies would lose two rating points and slip to 70, but they would remain in the eighth spot, as per the rankings predictor.
Currently, Australia are atop the WTC table and Sri Lanka are second. Still, India can’t let their guard down and must prepare for a much tougher two-Test home series against South Africa next month.
A mismatch
India decimated the West Indies inside three days of the five-day encounter in Ahmedabad. Not a single West Indies batsman reached the half-century mark, with 38 being the top score. Clearly, they lacked temperament and showed no stomach to stay at the wicket, eventually capitulating without a fight.
Former India all-rounder Madan Lal is sure another mauling is in store. “I’ve no expectations from the West Indies team, as they are not good at the moment. People come to watch when you perform well. So, if a few thousand fans do turn up at the stadium, they would come to watch only the Indian players,” the former Delhi captain told Patriot.
“There is no competition between the two teams. While the West Indies lasted two and a half days in the first Test, here in Delhi, they would probably last a little longer due to the experience they would have gained in Ahmedabad,” he says.
Role of the pitch
Traditionally, the Delhi pitch assists spinners, and it is unlikely to change its character dramatically for the 36th Test to be played at this venue.
“The pitch in Delhi might be different from Ahmedabad. As winter sets in, the ball would move around. Even if the ball turns, it will typically be low and slow. But there is no competition between the teams, and, sadly, the West Indies have gone so low down,” says Madan Lal.
India have played seven Tests against the West Indies in Delhi, and the hosts have managed to win just one. The West Indies have won two, and four have been drawn. This coming Test is an opportunity for India to draw level.
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India have a better overall Test record at this venue than the visiting teams, winning 14 of the 35 Tests, while the visitors have won just six.
Thirty-four of the 35 Tests have been staged at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground, as the venue was known previously. Then, in September 2019, following the death of former DDCA president Arun Jaitley, it was renamed after him, amid protests by former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi and others.
The renaming of the stadium means the name ‘Ferozeshah Kotla’ was removed completely from the cricket record books as far as international matches go. Interestingly, this amendment also meant that the first three Tests – from November 1948 to October 1952 – were played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium even before he was born in December 1952!
Impact of weather, festivals
Rains and dark clouds in the last few days must have made the groundsmen wary. Although the forecast for the next few days shows “hazy sunshine” and no rain, the DDCA has the covers to protect almost the entire ground, should it rain during the match.
Anyway, the fan response is likely to be low for mainly two reasons – India’s weak opponents and the impact the upcoming festival season will have on cricket.
“October is a festival season, and it is bound to have a bearing on the match as people are preparing for that. However, I expect that around 10,000 fans would turn up each day. If it was South Africa instead of the West Indies, I would have expected between 20,000 and 25,000 fans to come to the ground daily,” DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma said.
Another crucial factor is that there is no Delhi player in the Indian team. The presence of Virat Kohli would have almost ensured a packed house.
DDCA set to make profit
Even if the match finishes early, as expected, the DDCA will still make a handsome profit. It is expected to earn well over Rs 3 crore from in-stadia advertisements, besides the income from ticket sales.
It is gathered that tickets worth Rs 70 lakh or more have been sold so far, and some more are likely to be sold in the next few days, particularly if the match stretches into the third day, a Sunday. Also, the BCCI will pay at least Rs 2.70 crore to the DDCA as the Test match hosting fee.
Delhi loses big-ticket Test
According to the original schedule, Delhi was to stage the first Test against South Africa from November 14. But, rather mysteriously, that match was swapped with Kolkata, which was to host the West Indies Test as per the original schedule. Adding to the swapping mystery was the timing of the BCCI announcement about the change of schedule.
On April 2, the BCCI had first announced the full home international schedule. However, on June 9, Kolkata’s West Indies Test was swapped with Delhi’s, just two days before the South Africa–Australia WTC final began. The triumph took South Africa’s stock upwards. Today, fans would prefer to pay to watch Temba Bavuma’s team rather than Roston Chase’s West Indies which capitulated without a fight in the first Test.
A DDCA insider tried to deflect the blame – hold your breath – on the media for the Test swap. “The DDCA had successfully secured the South Africa Test, to be played in November. But when media reports said the Test was destined to be doomed due to likely fog during that period in Delhi, the South African board took note of that and pressed the BCCI to change the venue,” he told Patriot.
South Africa went on to beat defending champions Australia in the WTC final and became the toast of the cricket world, while the DDCA cut a sorry figure. The swap once again showed the DDCA in a poor light inside the corridors of the BCCI.
