Opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal showed why he is considered one of the few all-format batters in the Indian team as he smashed a majestic 173 not out to power the hosts to a commanding 318-2 on the opening day of the second and final Test in Delhi on Friday.
Batting first in glorious conditions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Jaiswal hit 22 fours in his fifth 150-plus score in Tests.
Jaiswal scored his seventh Test hundred and faced 253 deliveries to remain unbeaten after captain Shubman Gill won his first toss in seven Tests as India skipper.
Gill was 20 not out at stumps.
India had won the first Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 40 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. West Indies have not beaten India in their last 26 Tests home or away, stretching back to 2002.
Jaiswal reached his 100 off 145 balls, including 16 fours, early in the second session.
Fellow opener KL Rahul was out stumped around half an hour before lunch. He scored 38 off 54 balls, hitting five fours and a six, before a sharp turner from Jomel Warrican (2-60) foxed him.
Sai Sudharsan scored a career-best 87 on either side of the lunch break. He put on 193 runs with Jaiswal for the second wicket as the duo batted out the entire second session taking India to 220-1 at tea.
Sudharsan was lucky to be unbeaten at tea – he was dropped by Warrican at short midwicket off Justin Greaves just before the break. He reached his second Test half-century off 87 balls, and hit 12 fours in all.
Up until recently, Jaiswal was seen as the premier top-order all format batter of India. However, he is now finding regular cricket only in Test matches, and possibly ODIs. His spot in the T20 team has gone to Gill.
However, his attacking mindset should keep him high in the pecking order when major tournaments come around.
Warrican got his second success of the day in the final session as he trapped Sudharsan lbw in the 69th over.
“We all know that he (Jaiswal) is very aggressive and he likes to score runs quickly,” India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said after the day's play.
“Even after being not so aggressive, he's still batting on 173. That shows how good he's batted. I think he was brilliant today.”
The visitors, led by Roston Chase, are looking to avoid a second successive Test whitewash after losing 3-0 to Australia at home.
“Today was a tough day in the office for everyone,” West Indies assistant coach Floyd Reifer said.
“I thought Jaiswal batted really well. (It is) opportunity for our boys to come to India and really bowl line and length for long periods of time.”
India started strongly with Rahul and Jaiswal putting on 58 runs for the first wicket.
Rahul made a rapid 38 before being stumped. He had attacked Seales for successive fours, including a fine cover drive followed by a whip towards mid-on in the first hour of play.
Jaiswal's straight drive off pace bowler Anderson Phillip after the first drinks break delighted the decent crowd that had turned up on a near perfect day for Test cricket.
Spin was introduced in the 15th over, with Pierre bowling his left-arm orthodox on a tidy line and length.
Rahul took on Pierre in the next over and came down the track to hit the first six of the match over long-on, but another ambitious attempt in the next over cost him his wicket.
