India-Bangladesh Test Series: Going for a knockout

India would want their big guns Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to fire as the hosts aim for a clean sweep against Bangladesh in the second and final Test starting here tomorrow.

Ravichandran Ashwin’s all-round show, Shubman Gill’s sublime hundred, Ravindra Jadeja’s quality batting and Rishabh Pant’s roaring comeback allowed India to script a comfortable victory in Chennai despite being put under pressure by the Bangladesh pacers on Day 1.

The way India bounced back in the game reaffirmed their supremacy in Test cricket, especially at home where they are on course for a record extending 18th consecutive series win.

Having made a successful return in white-ball cricket, it was time for Pant to show that it is the Test arena where he can make the maximum impact. It seems he has even added one more dimension to his game: curbing his aggressive instinct if the situation demands, making him even more dangerous.

However, both Rohit and Virat failed with the bat in the series-opener as Bangladesh pacers — Hasan Mahmud and Taskin Ahmed — bowled probing lines on a supportive track and were rewarded.

With a long Test season ahead of them, the two premier batters must be itching to get back among the runs. Playing his first Test at home since March 2023, Kohli did not look at his sharpest and one can trust him to not go for expansive cover drives at the start of his innings.

The Green Park wicket has traditionally been a low and slow track that assists spinners. While it is expected to offer some assistance to the fast bowlers initially, the basic nature of the pitch, prepared with black soil, is not expected to change much.

The wicket will become slower as the game progresses. It means India can field three spinners instead of three pacers. If that is indeed the case, Akash Deep could make way for Kuldeep Yadav.

If India think they need more cushion with the bat, then Axar Patel might just pip home hero Kuldeep, who has performed exceptionally over the last 18 months.

In the last Test played at Green Park in 2021, India had fielded three spinners — Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar — in a game that ended in a thrilling draw with New Zealand.

Interestingly, the 2021 contest and the one before that in 2016 (also against New Zealand) lasted five days.

India have not lost a Test to Bangladesh till date and the visitors will need a special effort to reverse that statistic.

Turnaround for KL

KL Rahul has been around for long but has not established himself in the Test side. In 51 matches, he has scored 2901 runs, averaging 34.12. “KL is someone who understands his game very well. In South Africa, he played tremendous knocks. We are very hopeful... the kind of combination that Gautam has had and I have had with him that hopefully we can have a turnaround in KL as well. These things sometimes take time. But I feel the way he is batting… I am pretty sure going forward you will see the performances that you expect from him,” assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said.

A splendid double

In 73 Tests, Ravindra Jadeja has taken 299 wickets and scored 3122 runs. He needs to add just one more scalp to his kitty to become the second-fastest player in Test history to complete the double of 300 wickets and 3000 runs. England great Ian Botham had achieved the feat in 72 matches.

Teams still guessing about pitch on match eve

India remain undecided on playing three spinners with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar saying that the nature of the pitch and overhead conditions on the morning of the match will influence the decision-making.

The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association has prepared two pitches for the game beginning here on Thursday. Skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir had a look at the two pitches during the optional training session on the eve of the match at Green Park Stadium. Rain is predicted on the opening day as well as Day 3. India had played two spinners and three pacers in the first Test in Chennai.

“To be honest, I don’t know which surface we are going to play on yet. Both the pitches look pretty good. Kanpur is often known to have good pitches. I am not sure about the bounce yet,” Nayar said.

“With the conditions and the forecast, it is going to be interesting, when we turn up in the morning, how the conditions are. A lot will depend on that because as you know in Test cricket, conditions can be a huge factor in how the pitch plays. It is too early for us to judge and decide or have any sort of thought process on the pitch or the conditions. But we are hoping we come in tomorrow to a sunny day and not an overcast Kanpur,” he added.