New Delhi: The two-match Test series between India and Bangladesh will reach its final stages as the second and final Test is set to begin at the Green Park in Kanpur on Friday. India ride high on confidence, entering the contest with a 1-0 lead, having beaten the visitors in the Chennai Test with a huge margin of 280 runs. For Bangladesh, the game will be an opportunity to draw the series to keep the “confident” tag intact.
Talking about the first Test, India dominated the Bangla Tigers in every aspect and claimed most parts of the session pies of each of the four days. The likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant were the wreckers-in-chief for Bangladesh as they dented their hopes of a series win in India and scripting another history, as they did in Pakistan before arriving in India.
Nonetheless, despite winning the first Test and being the favourites to win the second Test, completing a series sweep, the hosts still have a thing or two to concern about which are so major that they might put Bangladesh in the driver’s seat. Although the Indian team knows it pretty well how to pull themselves out of trouble, the two or three-session pies where the Tigers dominated in the first Test will be a stern test for the Men in Blue.
Let’s have a look at what could be the threats for the Indian cricket team in the Kanpur Test.
Indian top-order collapse
When it comes to talking about the Indian top order, skipper Rohit Sharma and his longtime compatriot Virat Kohli automatically come forth. The two star batters endured flop shows in both innings of the first Test as they failed to give the team a good start, leaving pressure surmounting on the middle and lower middle order. Both scored six in the first innings and had scores of five (Rohit) and 17 (Kohli) in the second.
Other top-order batters like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal shone in the second and first innings respectively, enduring dismal outings in the first and second (respectively). While they don’t look much of a concern, the two Indian veterans surely have to hit the right chords to keep the team floating throughout the game.
Hasan Mahmud
While the general view of the Kanpur pitch is said to be “low bounce” and “spin-friendly” due to the usage of black soil, it won’t bother Bangladesh paceman Hasan Mahmud who bagged a fifer in the first innings of the Chennai Test as he ran through the Indian top order to give the hosts an early scare. He removed Rohit, Kohli, and Gill under the first 10 overs to give his side an upper hand with the help of the new ball.
The spinners Shakib al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz are expected to go big in the second Test but the new ball impact will always be with the pacers and that is where Mahmud comes into play. India need to find a way to survive his early overs of the day.
Veteran experience ft. Shakib, Mushfiqur
Team Bangladesh will take solace in the experience of two of their classy and most prolific Test batters – Shakib al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. While neither of them could display their actual capabilities in the first Test, it is well versed that they can turn the game on its head. Shakib, who announced his T20I retirement ahead of the game has already hinted that this Test might be the last game of his career in the red-ball format, and will expectedly perform at his best to hang up his boots on a high.
Meanwhile, Mushfiqur Rahim recently starred with a sensational 191 in the first innings of the first Test against Pakistan which helped Bangladesh topple the Men in Green at their own home. This reaffirms what the 37-year-old still boasts within himself and he certainly can’t be written off in the Kanpur Test. The two veterans along with the likes of Litton Das, Mehidy, and skipper Shanto could give India a reality check with the bat.
Despite winning the first Test and taking a 1-0 lead in the Test series, Team India will have to be wary of Bangladesh in the second Test that is scheduled in Kanpur. Here’s a look at the possible threats for the hosts. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
