India beat the West Indies by 10 wickets to win the second and final Test inside three days and sweep the series in Hyderabad on Sunday.
The hosts chased down their 72-run target in 16.1 overs. Prithvi Shaw, on 33, and KL Rahul, also on 33, remained unbeaten in an extended final session. The 18-year-old Shaw hit the winning boundary as the world’s top Test side registered their 10th successive series triumph on home soil.
Earlier fast bowler Umesh Yadav claimed a match haul of 10 wickets to help skittle out the West Indies for 127 in their second innings.
In many ways, the number 10 defined India’s win over West Indies as the entire series lasted a mere six days with the Rajkot Test ending in three days as well.
A rare 10-for
Umesh returned overall match figures of 10-133 – his maiden 10-wicket haul in 40 Tests – taking four wickets in the West Indies’ second innings. His performance was only the fourth instance ever that an Indian pacer has taken 10 wickets in a match in a home Test. Umesh’s figures are the third best.
10-wicket hauls by Indian pacers at home
| Players | Match figures |
|---|---|
| Javagal Srinath vs Pakistan (Kolkata, Feb 1999) | 46-10-132-13 |
| Kapil Dev vs Pakistan (Chennai, Jan 1980) | 42.4-12-146-11 |
| Umesh Yadav vs Windies (Hyderabad, Oct 2018) | 38.5-6-133-10 |
| Kapil Dev vs Windies (Ahmedabad, Nov 1983) | 57.3-15-135-10 |
Not just at home Tests, an Indian pacer taking a 10-for in a Test match is not that frequent an occurrence. The Vidharbha pacer became only the 8th Indian to do, overall. Incidentally, only Kapil Dev and Irfan Pathan have managed to do it twice.
10-wicket hauls by Indian pacers in Tests
| Player | Match figures |
|---|---|
| Javagal Srinath vs Pakistan (Kolkata, Feb 1999) | 46-10-132-13 |
| Irfan Pathan vs Zimbabwe (Harare, Sep 2005) | 34.2-7-126-12 |
| Irfan Pathan vs Bangladesh (Dhaka, Dec 2004) | 31-10-96-11 |
| Kapil Dev vs Pakistan (Chennai, Jan 1980) | 42.4-12-146-11 |
| Ishant Sharma vs Windies (Bridgetown, Jun 2011) | 41.2-11-108-10 |
| Umesh Yadav vs Windies (Hyderabad, Oct 2018) | 38.5-6-133-10 |
| Kapil Dev vs Windies (Ahmedabad, Nov 1983) | 57.3-15-135-10 |
| Zaheer Khan vs Bangladesh (Dhaka, Jan 2010) | 39.3-5-149-10 |
| Venkatesh Prasad vs South Africa (Durban, Dec 1996) | 44-10-153-10 |
| Chetan Sharma vs England (Birmingham, Jul 1986) | 53.3-6-188-10 |
Win margins
India’s 10-wicket win in Hyderabad was the first time it has happened in history against West Indies. India’s previous best result against West Indies (in terms of wickets) came in Chennai on 17th October 2002 — by a margin of 8 wickets.
If you recall, the first Test win by an innings and 272 runs was the biggest win for India in Tests cricket.
Additionally, India’s last four Test wins at home have all been by a massive margin. Against Sri Lanka in Nagpur, the team equalled the best win margin in their history which was then broken, first against Afghanistan, and then against West Indies in Rajkot.
Australia’s record on the line
India have not lost a Test series at home since 2012, when they went down to England 1-2, with Monty Panesar and Greame Swann (literally and figuratively) turning the series around in favour of the visitors.
India's last 10 Test series at home
| Opponent (Year) | Series scoreline |
|---|---|
| West Indies, 2018 | 2-0 |
| Afghanistan, 2018 | 1-0 |
| Sri Lanka, 2017/18 | 1-0 |
| Australia, 2016/17 | 2-1 |
| Bangladesh, 2016 | 1-0 |
| England, 2016 | 4-0 |
| New Zealand, 2016 | 3-0 |
| South Africa, 2015/16 | 3-0 |
| West Indies, 2013/14 | 2-0 |
| Australia, 2012/13 | 4-0 |
Only one other team has achieved 10 series wins on the trot at home and there should be no surprises that it was Australia. The Aussies have managed that feat twice in their history — 1994/95-2000/01 and then 2004-2008/09. According to the Future Tours Programme, India’s next home Test engagement is a one-match affair against Zimbabwe in 2019. It’d seem Virat Kohli and Co are on their way to create an all-time record.
Other numbers
Shaw added another ‘youngest’ record to his name when he hit the winning runs in Hyderabad, with Rahul playing out the previous over to give the 18-year-old a chance to enjoy the occasion.
And finally, on a light-hearted note, this.
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