India, Oct. 13 -- Sometimes a knife gets sharpened in the dullest of battles. The second Test at Kotla will perhaps be described by many as one such battle - the pitch wasn't doing much, the West Indies batters were playing to their own rhythm with a win out of sight and the Indian bowlers were struggling to find the right length. Yes, it was all happening but it was happening at a slow, sleepy pace.

But just as friction sharpens a knife, these struggles build character, resilience, and skill. For some of the younger members of the India team, it was an opportunity to do just that. And among those youngsters would be skipper Shubman Gill.

At close of play on Day 4, India were just 58 runs away from sealing a 2-0 series win. John Campbel...