India vs West Indies Live Score, 1st Test Day 2: Shubman Gill and KL Rahul's eyes on erasing small overnight deficit

KL Rahul, batting on a watchful 53* overnight, has ensured he has remained at the crease as he tries to be the foundation for a large Indian score that might potentially only see them bat once. He lost his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal just as the left tried upping his scoring rate, and number three Sai Sudharsan fell cheaply as his first Test innings on home turf didn't quite go to plan on the ground he calls his home in the IPL. Now in with Rahul is another man who plies his trade at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the IPL, with Indian Test captain Shubman Gill trying to get his eye in.

This is an extremely experienced and high quality pair of batters, neither of whom are likely to give away their wicket to a bowling attack that has sharp talent such as Jayden Seales, but also consists of two debutants gaining international exposure for the first time. Whether they have enough firepower to crack through the Indian middle order when they have a ball which is already 38 overs old will be the big challenge for them: batting will only become easier and easier, and with depth that sees Washington Sundar coming in at number 8, it seems like an inevitability that India will post a big lead.

By the same token, this is a team that has shown itself to be susceptible to the odd collapse through the middle at times, and that remains something that the Indian batting as a unit will want to improve. Rahul has ensured his team has done the hard yards, with him taking the majority of the fire from the Windies when the new ball found purchase on the pitch.

Converting the big early advantage they have provided for themselves shouldn't prove to be too much of a task for an Indian team against a West Indies unit that is still trying to find the right pieces to put together, but nothing will be taken for granted: winning Test matches is something Gautam Gambhir as a coach and Shubman Gill as a captain will want to make a habit. Gill spoke at the toss about wanting to win all 4 Test matches that are lined up for them at home through to the end of the year, and that necessitates a bit of ruthlessness. For the Indian team, finding that biting edge in a young team is what this series is about. Much shouldn't be expected in terms of drama, but no Test match is ever without its consequences, particularly in the WTC era.

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