India’s captain Rohit Sharma was closely evaluating the Green Park pitch in Kanpur ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh, set to begin on Friday, September 27. India secured a dominant 280-run victory in the first Test in Chennai, bolstered by strong all-round performances from Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, along with centuries from Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant.
In the first match, they opted for a combination of three seamers and two spinners due to the greenish wicket and overcast conditions in Chennai. However, with indications that the Kanpur pitch will favor spin, Rohit may choose to revert to a more traditional lineup of three spinners and two pacers.
With just two days left before the second Test, a video shows Rohit inspecting the pitch closely. You can watch the video here:
Captain Rohit Sharma assessing the pitch of green park Kanpur.🔥
Captain Rohit back to work @ImRo45 🐐🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/hge8wfR0g7
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) September 25, 2024
India is currently on a five-Test winning streak after their loss to England in Hyderabad earlier this year. They haven’t lost a Test in Kanpur since 1983 against the West Indies, boasting five wins and four draws in their last nine red-ball matches there.
If India opts for three spinners, the next challenge will be deciding between Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, as well as which three pacers to include.
What occurred the last time India played a Test match in Kanpur?
The last Test India played in Kanpur was against New Zealand in the 2021 series opener. On a tricky wicket that made scoring difficult, India managed a solid 345 in their first innings, largely due to a superb century from Shreyas Iyer.
In reply, New Zealand scored 296, benefiting from a strong opening partnership of 151 between Tom Latham and Will Young. However, a collapse in the middle order saw them lose ten wickets for just 145 runs.
The second innings was another tough outing for the hosts, who found themselves at 51/5 before Shreyas Iyer and Wriddhiman Saha delivered pivotal half-centuries, helping them reach 234/7 declared and setting New Zealand a target of 284 runs in just over a day.
New Zealand fought hard on Day 5, enduring 98 overs to finish at 165/9, ultimately escaping with a draw as bad light halted play before the final overs. This result ended India’s three-Test winning streak in Kanpur, but they bounced back to win the second Test in Mumbai by a significant 372 runs, clinching the series 1-0.
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