Big picture: Another tough test awaits Bangladesh
It was a showcase of India’s depth in both batting and bowling. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli managed only 34 runs between them in four innings, but India had three centurions and two half-centurions. When it comes to bowling, their seamers shared eight wickets in Bangladesh’s first innings and nine spinners in the second.
Things will not be easy for Bangladesh in Kanpur, where New Zealand held their tail to earn a draw the last time a Test was played here. There is also some uncertainty about the platform. Ground crews were preparing two areas, and as of noon before the game, it was unclear which one would be used.
Kanpur usually provides good test match pitches which help the fast bowlers in the morning before hitting the flat and help the spinners in the last two days. However, the weather could be a problem this time, with rain forecast for the first three days. That will not only affect the field but also the decision of the toss and the composition of the team.
But all is not bleak in Bangladesh. In their second innings in Chennai, the openers got off to a good start, followed by Najmul Hossain Shanto’s return to form with 82. In their first innings, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz all started. But to compete with this Indian team at home, you have to be healthy for a long time. Can Bangladesh do that?
Form guide
India WWWWW (Last five exams, most recent)
Bangladesh LWWLL
Highlights: Shubman Gill and Shakib Al Hasan
Team news: Wait and watch?
India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 KL Rahul, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Axar Patel, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj
Bangladesh (probable): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Zakir Hasan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Litton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Taskin Ahmed
Pitch and mood: Slow and low bounce?
The red-soil pitch in Chennai had a good bounce for both seamers and spinners in the first Test. Kanpur will be different. The two stadiums that are expected to be in this game are places with black soil. He may be flat, has low bounce, and is expected to slow down as the Test progresses. That could all change if rain is forecast, and poor lighting could be a factor towards the end of each day.
Stats and trivia: Jadeja double on the cards
Quotes
“We don’t do particularly bad pitches. But we try to make sure that the conditions are tough enough for the players to be challenged. A lot of these guys have been playing for years. Only when they’re challenged will they play. They’ll get better. So sometimes the thought process is to challenge them in a different way so that your game and you , mentally and physically, you’ve grown.”
India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar with the benefits of playing on different platforms
“The pitches don’t matter much against teams like England, Australia and India. Obviously they will have weapons to attack us with. They have good batsmen, fast bowlers and spinners. I don’t think the pitch will have an effect. We have to do better than what we did in Chennai.”
Bangladesh everywhere Shakib Al Hasan
Hemant Brar is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
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