Gill wins first series as India captain with 2-0 West Indies sweep

Shubman Gill on Tuesday won his first Test series since becoming India captain as his side beat the West Indies by seven wickets at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium for a 2-0 sweep.

Chasing 121 for victory in the second Test, India resumed on day five at 63-1 and reached their target in the first session with KL Rahul unbeaten on 58.

West Indies captain Roston Chase struck twice with his off-spin to send back Sai Sudharsan for 39 and Gill, who made 13.

Rahul hit the winning four as India reached 124-3 after a spirited fightback from the West Indies, who made 390 in their second innings with centuries from John Campbell and Shai Hope after being forced to follow on.

India are a team in transition under 26-year-old Gill, after the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

They won the opening Test by an innings and 140 runs after a thrilling 2-2 draw in their five-Test series in England from June to August, Gill's first in charge.

"It's a really big honour and I would say I'm getting used to it," Gill said at the post-match presentation.

"Managing all the players and leading this team is a great honour."

India head coach Gautam Gambhir said the young leader was marching on after having passed his "toughest test as a Test captain" in England.

"No one has done him a favour by appointing him the Test and one-day captain," the former batsman told reporters.

"I think he deserves every bit of it. I think he's worked hard, and he ticks all the boxes."

Gill has been in the form of his life after being named Test captain in May, scoring 754 runs in the five England Tests and then a half-century and a hundred in the two West Indies matches.

- West Indies hope -
India's left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav's match haul of eight wickets, including 5-82 in the first West Indies innings, earned him the player of the match accolade.

Kuldeep claimed 12 wickets in the series and pace bowler Mohammed Siraj took 10 to be India's leading wicket-taker this year with 37 wickets in eight matches.

India's batsmen set up the victory as Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored with 175 in India's mammoth first-innings total of 518-5 declared. Gill made an unbeaten 129.

The West Indies have endured years of decline and, despite the late fight shown in Delhi, suffered their second successive Test sweep after a 3-0 home series defeat to Australia.

There were some positives to take from the series.

Left-handed opener Campbell made 115 and Hope 103 in a 177-run stand for the third wicket on Monday as India's bowlers tired on a slow pitch offering little help.

"It's just for us to use this last Test match as a stepping stone and a confidence booster going into the upcoming series," Chase said of West Indies' next tour, to New Zealand in November.

"We just have to keep improving as much as we can from here."

India enforced the follow-on after they bowled out the West Indies for 248, a deficit of 270 from the hosts' first innings.

The visitors sprung into life in their second innings through Campbell and Hope, with Justin Greaves and Jayden Seales also offering tail-end resistance.

Greaves with an unbeaten 50 and Seales, 32, put on 79 runs for the final wicket to frustrate India and force play into the fifth day.

Chase hails West Indian grit

West Indies captain Roston Chase on Tuesday said his team's spirited batting towards the end of the second India Test was a "stepping stone" to a revival in fortunes for the Caribbean team.

The tourists went down by seven wickets at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium to complete a 2-0 series defeat, but did force India into a fifth day after being made to follow on 270 runs behind.

The West Indies hit back with John Campbell (115) and Shai Hope (103) sharing a 177-run stand for the third wicket.

The pair ensured India would have to bat again before Justin Greaves (50 not out) and Jayden Seales (32) put on 79 runs for the last wicket to take them to 390 and frustrate the India bowlers further.

"This is the kind of fight that I wanted to see from us from matches before," Chase told reporters.

"This is a stepping stone, a building step for us to go forward and improve as a Test playing nation.

"(It) will give us the confidence and boost us in terms of that belief that we can do it against proper Test playing nations."

West Indies lost the opening Test by an innings and 140 runs.

It was their second successive series sweep after going down to Australia 3-0 at home in June and July.

In the final match against Australia, they were skittled for 27, the second lowest total in Test history.

"I think where we could improve mainly is our batting," admitted Chase.

"That's what let us down for the last two series.

"I think that once we can put good first innings totals on the board, we will be able to fight for some wins in the World Test Championship."

Their rearguard 390, after being bowled out for 248 chasing India's mammoth 518-5 declared first innings, won plaudits from their opponents.

"I have always believed that world cricket needs West Indies cricket, that is something which is very important," said India head coach Gautam Gambhir.

"It was really nice to see them fight.

"Obviously they are an inexperienced team and there are a lot of changes that have happened there, but the way they fought in the second innings will give them a lot of confidence."