India Test captain Shubman Gill He gave a detailed explanation of his decision to enforce the follow-on during the second Test against West Indies At the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, a move that sparked mixed reactions among fans. While India eventually cruised to a 2-0 series win with a seven-wicket win, the strategy caught attention as the follow-on force became an uncommon sight in recent Test cricket.
India pile up a total in the first innings
After winning the toss, Gill elected to bat first on a flat, batting-friendly surface. The Indian supreme order made the most of the circumstances, with Yashavi Jaiswal He continued his remarkable career by scoring 175 runs. Sai Sudarsan He played a knock of 87, while captain Gill anchored the innings with an unbeaten 129. Their efforts took India to 518/5 before the announcement came late on the second day.
In response, West Indies struggled to build partnerships. Despite short resistance from Alec Athanisethe visitors fell to 248. With a huge advantage of 273 runs, India had the option of batting again and extending the lead. However, Gill surprised many by calling on the opposition to continue – a decision that sparked debate within the comment box and among fans online.
Rare follow-up call
Modern captains have generally avoided forcing follow-ups, preferring instead to rest their bowlers and pile on a huge target in the fourth over. Many fans felt that India’s fast bowlers, having bowled over 80 overs in the first innings, deserved time to recover. Critics questioned whether the call was too aggressive given the workload on the bowling unit.
The risk did not pay off well as the Windies showed resistance. The visitors went on to post 390 runs, giving India a target of 121 runs. opener John Campbell (115) The dough is medium grade Hop tea (103) Shine with the bat. Both stars smashed massive centuries and stood tall against India’s quality bowling attack. Despite this, India easily got through the target by chasing down the target on the fifth day with 7 wickets in hand.
Shubman Gill explains his decision to force a follow-up
After the win, Gill explained that the decision was driven by match situation and time management. He explained that with India leading by nearly 300 runs, batting again would have made the final day difficult, as they perhaps needed to take six or seven wickets under pressure late on the fifth day. Instead, by forcing the follow-on, India maintained the initiative, capitalizing on the confidence and energy of their bowlers to attack immediately. Gill stressed that when a team’s momentum is high, it is better to push for a decisive result rather than allow the game to drift away, and showed a proactive and aggressive approach to leadership.
“We were nearly 300 runs ahead. We thought if we batted again and had to chase wickets late in the fifth over, it might make things difficult. We wanted to stay ahead and finish the game early. The bowlers were confident and wanted another strike straight away. When the energy is high, it is better to attack rather than let the game drift,” he said. Gill said during the post-game presentation.
The 24-year-old’s leadership is already starting to catch attention due to his proactive and bold nature. His decision to force the follow-on demonstrated tactical audacity, and his century with the bat underscored his growing status as a leader. India’s convincing win not only ensured a sweep of the series, but marked the beginning of a promising chapter under Gill in red-ball cricket.
https://crickettimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Shubman-Gill-on-reason-behind-enforcing-follow-on-over-West-Indies-in-Delhi-Test.webp
Source link