With no Tests until December, all eyes are on Gill & Rahane

🥱😴🥱😴🥱 This has been the routine for this Test match. The three days of match time have been an eternity of boredom. A dead-flat slow pitch and West Indies' deaccelerated batting approach is an anguish. Throughout the day, Windies scored 143 runs in 67 overs, a run-rate of 2.1. 

Most of the first session was washed out because of rain. But, in the second session, it felt like we were watching a timeless Test. In 34.2 overs, the hosts scored 57 runs at a run rate of 1.7. The whole session ran on a loop, with Ravindra Jadeja from one end and Ravichandran Ashwin from the other. In the background, Ishan Kishan chirping, "oho ho Jaddu" & "Aye bowling Ash." 

The third session was also hampered by rain, but not to the extent of the first. In the final session, West Indies scored at a better rate (2.5). 

From the viewers' perspective, this Test has been a snoozefest. However, West Indies have achieved their objective. After a dismal batting performance in the first Test, their agenda was to bat as much as possible. 

They have lost five wickets for just 229 runs but have batted 108 overs. Alick Athanaze showed his class again, while Jason Holder is looking solid. With no sideward movement for pacers and no spin or grip for the tweakers, we can expect West Indies to bat longer. As things stand, this Test is heading towards a stalemate. 

An India win or a draw will help them seal the series, but for two Indian batters, there is one innings to showcase their worth. 

Rahane and Gill, under the radar

After this game, India's next Test assignment is in the last week of December this year, against South Africa (away). In the four-month-long period, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Jasprit Bumrah, the lynchpins for India, might return to play the longer format. Further, if Rishabh Pant is fit and ready to go, then Shubman Gill and Ajinkya Rahane are the players in the firing line. 

In Tests since 2022, Gill has scored 379 runs in 13 innings at 29.15. In just two innings, one against Bangladesh (110) and the other against Australia (128) in Ahmedabad this year, he scored 238 runs, 62.8% of runs. In the remaining 11 innings, Gill's highest score is 21. His scoring range in this period: 1-9 - three innings, 10-19 - four innings, and 20-29 - three innings.  

On the other hand, Rahane, who made a comeback on the back of two crucial innings in the World Test Championship Final, has also failed. Inconsistency is a word that has stuck with Rahane a lot, and that led to his undoing. 

In Tests since 2020, apart from the two innings in the WTC final (89 & 46), Rahane has never scored back-to-back 30+ scores — a testimony of his inconsistency. His instability is more evident when we look at his numbers in every six-innings split. In four different breakups, he averages less than 25.  

In this period, Rahane has batted 39 innings, averaging 25.4 overall. Among top-order batters who have played 20+ innings, his average is the fourth-worst overall and the worst among Indians. 

In any case, with plenty of injuries to India's main middle-order batters, Rahane is a temporary fix. He will automatically make way for Shreyas when he is fit. 

All in all, both players have much to prove in the second innings. 

How long can West Indies bat?

Looking at the pace of the West Indies batters, their intention is clearly to bat long and not care about the runs. The longer they bat, the lesser the chance of an India win. 

Moreover, they wouldn't want to bat too many overs in the fourth innings, with Ashwin and Jadeja bowling in tandem.  

In Tests against India, West Indies have never lost a game when they have batted 110+ overs in the first innings. On 57 occasions, they have won 24 and drawn 33. In this century, they have two wins and five draws in seven matches. 

In the 2006 Antigua Test, West Indies batted 248 overs, their most against India. Even coming close to that is impossible, but anything above 150 is still possible. 

The home team are just nine runs away from avoiding the follow-on. This means India will have to bat again. With the number of overs bowled by the visitors, they would have batted anyway. 

The weather has been unpredictable in the first three days. Rain was expected on the first two days, but not even a droplet was witnessed. The third day's play had intermediate rain, and 23 overs were lost. There is rain on both the remaining days. That is another reason why West Indies could probe to bat longer.