Day 1 of the India-Bangladesh Test in Kanpur was cut short due to rain and poor light conditions. Stay updated on the latest match developments.
Introduction:
Bangladesh reached 107 for 3 after 35 overs of play on the opening day of the second Test against India. The match is very evenly poised. The day opened with a delayed toss owing to the wet outfield and the onset of bad light, which pushed back the start by an hour. The bright idea to persist stayed much alive, with the Indian captain, Rohit Sharma, deciding to toss and put Bangladesh in. It was more an overcast decision, that is, with overcast skies and a pitch with considerably more grass than a typical Kanpur pitch.
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The Indian Seamers Test Bangladesh’s Patience
Clearly, it was a signal that Rohit wanted to exploit the conditions that were clearly seamer-friendly. India chose to field the same XI, banking on their three seamers, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep, to make early inroads. However, Bangladesh read the conditions differently and decided to bat first, including three spinners in their lineup – a very different approach altogether.
Bowler Bumrah, spearhead of India’s attack, bowled three straight maidens where he could move the ball both ways but did not draw in any breakthrough. Siraj was probing too without reward as openers Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan of Bangladesh played cautiously. Zakir was particularly circumspect, taking 20 balls to get off the mark. The opening spell was a battle of patience that found Bangladesh avoiding any early setbacks.
Akash Deep makes a breakthrough:
The game really came alive in the ninth over with Akash Deep coming in to attack. Impact was immediate. His third delivery tempted Zakir into a loose shot and Yashasvi Jaiswal took a sharp low catch at gully. Briefly out there, with the help of the TV umpire, confirmed the dismissal, which gave India a much-needed breakthrough.
Akash Deep struck again in his next over, leaving Shadman stranded in front of the stumps. The on-field umpire dismissed the appeal, but India reviewed successfully as the ball-tracking technology showed it would have knocked the leg stump over. This double blow put India in command as Bangladesh’s top order began to wobble.
A Resilient Fightback
Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque then steadied the ship for Bangladesh. Shanto came across with a positive approach by picking boundaries through the slips while Mominul gradually gained confidence, playing a few elegant strokes against both seam and spin. Their 51-run partnership helped Bangladesh recover from the early blows and put some pressure back on the Indian bowlers.
But just before lunch, the in-form R Ashwin struck. Bowling from around the wicket, he got one to skid through and trap Shanto in front. The umpire’s finger went up, ending Shanto’s resilient knock of 31. Bangladesh was disrupted once again and went in for the break at 86 for 3.
Rain and Bad Light Play Spoilsport
The second session started 15 minutes behind schedule due to a drizzle that persisted during the lunch break. When play resumed, Mushfiqur Rahim came in to join Mominul in the middle. The pair looked a bit uneasy against a disciplined Indian attack. Akash Deep nearly had Mushfiqur when an outside edge flew through the slip cordon, but the absence of a third slip saw the ball race to the boundary.
Mominul also had a few scary moments, most notably when he edged Bumrah just over the slips. This highlighted how difficult the conditions were and how an unpredictable pitch can prove for the batsmen. The light worsened rapidly in the session to make it tough for the umpires to carry on with the play that had to be suspended due to bad light.
Early End to the Day 1
Just after 3 pm local time, the skies opened and began raining heavily, forcing umpires to stop play for the day. This hasty end left both teams reminiscing on what would have been a more productive day of cricket.
What’s Next?
Hopefully both the teams would look for better weather in the remaining part of the game as the first day was already good enough to prevent just about 35 overs. India, when the ball is still new and with conditions likely to remain helpful for the bowlers, will look to capitalise early. Bangladesh, on their part, would look to rebuild and push the score well above 250 which could be competitive in testing conditions.