India's decision to enforce the follow-on against West Indies in the second Test at Arun Jaitley Stadium has sparked debate among cricket experts. After posting a commanding first-innings total of 518-5 declared, India asked West Indies to bat again following their first-innings score of 248.
While the move initially seemed tactical, West Indies responded strongly in the second innings, with John Campbell and Shai Hope forging a 138-run unbeaten partnership, leaving India with 97 runs in hand at stumps on Day 3.
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Aakash Chopra questions India's follow-on timing vs WI
Former India opener Aakash Chopra suggested that India might have benefited from batting again instead of enforcing the follow-on. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, he said the hosts could have allowed the pitch to deteriorate further, giving their bowlers a greater advantage later.
“I was in two minds. That's a call that has to be taken on the basis of what the pitch is doing and how tired the bowlers are. To be fair, India playing five proper bowlers, with Nitish Reddy as an option, they might have felt that everybody has got enough gas in the tank. I think the declaration was a little too soon.”
“Also, India could have batted and allowed the pitch to deteriorate a little further and then could have wrapped up things quite easily,” Chopra explained.
Chopra also said that India's bowlers appeared worn out during the second innings. Despite Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja taking eight wickets in the first innings, only Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar took wickets on Day 3.
"Tiredness towards the end was something that stood out. They had to bowl a lot on Day 2 and entire Day 3. It is hard work on a surface which is not spin-ready, which is made of black clay and not red soil. Eventually, you felt Kuldeep Yadav was dropping the ball a bit short," he added.
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The visitors' partnership between Campbell and Hope has shifted momentum slightly, leaving India with a tricky challenge on a slow, unresponsive track as Day 4 looms.
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