India's decision to enforce the follow on was based in hubris, not tactics

There was a sense of arrogance in the manner in which Yashasvi Jaiswal stepped out to try and hit Jomel Warrican out of the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the second over of India’s run-chase. It wasn’t particularly uncharacteristic of the young left-hander. Arrogance is an embedded part of his batting that has made him scale lofty peaks early on in his career.

But more than just an individual playing his natural game, the shot felt symbolic of a team trying to bulldoze through an opponent they didn’t consider good enough.

That approach perhaps also explains India’s decision to enforce the follow-on in Delhi, where not a lot of cricketing factors were in favour of such a call.

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Should India have enforced the follow-on?

On a flattish wicket that was offering slow, non-alarming turn, India had bowled West Indies out for 248 on the third afternoon, 270 behind their own first-innings total. While it was a big enough lead, it wasn’t the sort of margin on which follow-ons are usually enforced.

The last time a follow-on was enforced by a team leading by fewer than 275 in a non-rain shortened Test was by South Africa against Zimbabwe in 2017. In the four-day day-night Test, Zimbabwe had folded for 68 in response to the hosts’ 309 in just 30.1 overs. By contrast, West Indies had batted more than twice the number of overs in the first innings in Delhi.

With more than 80 overs in the bowlers’ legs and two and a half days to go, it would have made sense for India to bat again for a couple of sessions. That would have allowed them to set West Indies an unrealistic target with the pitch still good enough to bat on, and more importantly, given their bowlers a day’s break. Instead, India opted to send them back in.

India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate reasoned that they believed the pitch would deteriorate, but the ease with which West Indies’ last two partnerships had batted out nearly 100 balls in the first innings should have been enough of an indication for what was to come.

"There was a discussion to bat. Those last two wickets took a little bit longer than we would have hoped for, and had probably started going towards the space where you do look to bat again. But we felt [270] was a good lead. We thought the wicket was going to keep deteriorating. We thought by the close of play it would be at its worst, but it just seems to have slowed down even more," he said at the end of the third day’s play.

There was surprise from the West Indies camp as well, with spinner Khary Pierre suggesting that the “wicket was still a good one”.

As it turned out, West Indies batters made merry in the second innings. John Campbell scored his maiden Test hundred in his 50th attempt, and Shai Hope scored his third after eight long years. In the process, the pair also became the first since Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman to score hundreds while following on in a Test match in India.

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That 2001 Eden Gardens game triggered a long-term shift in how teams approached the follow-on. India themselves grew increasingly cautious about inviting the opposition back in. Even during their golden run at home between 2012 and 2024, they were meticulous about resting bowlers and controlling the game tempo. Each of the five times they enforced the follow-on in this period, they led by more than 300 runs.

This decision in Delhi was a break from their own established logic.

The West Indies might not have shown a lot of batting pedigree on this tour except for a bit of resistance from the lower order on the third morning, but even if India expected to roll them over in another 50 overs, it would have meant 130 overs of continuous bowling for the home side.

By the time India finally returned to the dressing room, their bowlers had sent down more than 200 overs at a stretch: a punishing spell that could have been avoided had they batted again, providing their bowlers a much-needed break and more helpful fourth- and fifth-day conditions to bowl on.

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In effect, India gambled on winning quickly rather than winning smartly. Against a team they had already outclassed, the upside of the approach was minimal while the downside, as it turned out, was significant.

Coming right off the Asia Cup campaign, Jasprit Bumrah ended up bowling 31.5 overs – the third-most he has in a home Test – while the West Indies set India a target of 121, not far off the score India had failed to chase last year against New Zealand.

India remain favourites to win this Test, but in choosing bravado over balance, they gave West Indies a window they never should have seen.