Shubman ton, Jadeja's scalps take India towards another early finish
New Delhi (PTI): Shubman Gill the batter led the way with his 10th century and then the captain gave his strike-bowler Ravindra Jadeja enough time to tighten the noose on West Indies as India galloped towards another comprehensive victory in the second Test, here Saturday.
Gill (129 not out) cruised to his century in the post-lunch session but without caring for an easy double hundred which looked inevitable against a poor bowling attack.
He declared the Indian innings with hosts reaching 518 for five, one hour into post lunch session.
What stood out on the day was how 'Gill the batter' and 'Gill the skipper' were in perfect sync.
The skipper didn't let the 'batter' take over in pursuit of personal glory even though there was enough time at his disposal to beef up his personal statistics.
Despite the pitch not having any significant wear and tear, it was still good enough for Ravindra Jadeja (3/37) to work his magic in tandem with Kuldeep Yadav (1/45), reducing West Indies to 140 for four in 43 overs.
For Viv Richards and Brian Lara, seated in the stands, watching the application from some of the Caribbean batters certainly wouldn't have been amusing.
John Campbell would consider himself extremely unlucky for the way he got dismissed. His full-blooded sweep that should have gone for a boundary, rammed into Sai Sudharsan's knuckle and got stuck as he was trying an evasive action.
But Tagenarine Chanderpaul (34) and Alick Athanaze (41) added 66 runs before Jadeja and Kuldeep struck in quick succession.
Chanderpaul perished while trying to open the face of the bat as he dabbed one down to third man and was caught in slips by KL Rahul.
Athanaze played a forgettable hoick when Kuldeep baited him and the lob was taken by Jadeja at mid-wicket.
Skipper Roston Chase (0) offered a tame return catch to Jadeja and it was a tale of familiar collapse.
The second day was all about trying to make a sense of Gill, who is starting to be impressive with each passing day.
The skipper, who faced 196 deliveries, hit 16 boundaries and two sixes, added 91 for the fourth wicket with Nitish Kumar Reddy (43) and 102 for the fifth wicket with Dhruv Jurel (44), who decided to up the ante after lunch.
India on the second day batted for 44.2 overs and added 200 runs to the overnight score of 318 for two.
Gill's century came with a cut shot off Khary Pierre that got him three runs. With his fifth century in last seven Tests apart from a half-century in the previous game, the skipper showed that the batter in him hasn't exactly been affected.
Even as Yashasvi Jaiswal (175, 258 balls) was unfortunately run-out at the start of the day, Gill's concentration didn't waver as he controlled the tempo of the game as per his will.
When the field was brought up, he would hit over the top. If the West Indies skipper Chase packed the off-side field, Gill inevitably played on the on-side.
Once a flurry of boundaries were hit, Chase was forced to keep a deep point and a deep square leg to cut down on boundaries. That helped him use the wide gaps to take those singles and doubles.
The best shot of the morning session and that too by a distance was the one that brought up Gill's second fifty of the series.
With a packed off-side field, Jayden Seales bowled on middle-leg with Gill flicking it through the vacant mid-wicket region. When Justin Greaves was brought into the attack, his lack of pace allowed Gill to step out and loft him over mid-wicket for his first six.
Gill, who had decided to defend during the final hour of the opening day, came out with a different mindset. It only helped that Anderson Phillip sprayed all over and was hit for a flurry of boundaries. A delivery on the pads was quickly dispatched behind square on the leg-side.
In his next over, Phillip was cut square of the wicket -- one a bit late behind square and the other in-front with same intent that produced same result. There was an on-drive and when the keeper was brought up to the stumps with '7-2' off-side field, he stepped out and hit over extra cover.
The only possible mode of dismissal for Jaiswal (175) seemed to be a run-out, and Gill could be held partly responsible as it was Jaiswal's call after he had pushed the ball slightly to the right of mid-off.
By stumps on the second day though, Gill had more than made amends for his mistake in the morning.
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1,850 missing mobile phones recovered as Delhi Police focusses on victim-centric policing
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has recovered 1,850 stolen and lost mobile phones worth around Rs 4 crore in past 40 days under "Mission Reconnect", an initiative aimed at returning phones to their rightful owners in outernorth Delhi, an official said on Saturday.
The recovered phones were traced from different parts of the country, including remote areas, through technical surveillance and sustained field operations, police said, adding that the devices were handed over to their owners during a programme at the Sports Ground, New Police Lines, Kingsway Camp.
The initiative focused on a victim-centric approach and aimed at strengthening public trust through proactive policing and coordinated efforts across states, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth) Hareshwar Swami said.
As part of the programme, teams performed 'nukkad nataks' and screened awareness videos on cybercrime, drug abuse prevention, and senior citizen safety, sensitising the public about digital frauds and safety measures, officials said.
The initiative combines technology, investigation and community participation to ensure recovery of lost property and reconnect citizens with their valuables, they added.
