-Shamik Chakrabarty in Kanpur
This was exhilarating. India won a Test while batting just 52 overs in the game. Two-and-a-half days of play were lost due to rain and a wet outfield in the second Test between India and Bangladesh here at Kanpur. Yet, India won by seven wickets, early into the second session on Day 5. The hosts were bold and beautiful, while the tourists were timid and fearful.
This victory was as much a team effort as it was the merry song of Rohit Sharma’s leadership. The hard numbers would say the India captain scored 23 (11 balls) in the first innings and eight in the second. But as Neville Cardus had maintained, the scoreboard could ruin a story that a game was trying to tell. Without Rohit’s inspirational leadership, would India have won this game? Not sure.
A tactical masterclass in the first session on Day 4 could be a good starting point. Jasprit Bumrah was bowling from the Mill End. Mushfiqur Rahim was facing him. The ball wasn’t doing much on a slow pitch. Rohit packed the slip cordon with five fielders and made the former Bangladesh captain tentative about playing the deliveries outside off. Bumrah was maintaining his line with computer-like precision. Eventually, he made one angle in a shade from outside off stump. Mushfiqur, apprehensive about nicking it to the slip cordon, shouldered arms and was out bowled. It was brilliant bowling. It was even better captaincy.
A batsman trying to break the shackles after a few dot balls or maiden overs is nothing new in cricket. The modern game, however, has coined a fancy phrase for this – the release shot. Litton Das attempted one against Mohammed Siraj in the first innings. He came down the track and gave the ball a whack, trying to clear mid-off. It was mistimed and yet it felt like it would find the boundary until Rohit leapt, stuck his right hand up and plucked it out of thin air. It was a blinder. The skipper provided inspiration in the field.
When India batted in their first innings, they had a couple of choices – meander along and go for personal milestones against an average Bangladesh bowling attack or make things exciting. They opted for the second option. Rohit started off with back-to-back sixes against Khaled Ahmed. When did it last happen – an opener starting his innings in a Test with successive maximums? Rohit made a statement that his team wanted to play in a certain way and force a result. His intent rubbed off on his teammates. India declared their first innings on 285/9 after batting just 34.4 overs. Fastest team 50, team 100 and team 200 were recorded in the process.
Cynics might say Bangladesh’s bowling was pedestrian and India probably couldn’t have done it against a better attack. But you can only play what’s in front of you.
“This is the legacy that Rohit Sharma will leave behind as captain,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo. “This is how he thinks. A strong team, which is one of the top two sides in the world, they also showed the champion’s approach, realising so much time has been lost. And he leads by example, exactly how he did in the 50-over World Cup.”
Ro-ball, bloody hell!
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