In what was a truncated opening day of the second Test, only 35 overs were bowled before play was called off due to bad weather in Kanpur. Despite challenging conditions, with the pitch showing signs of variable bounce on the first day itself, Bangladesh did well to post 107 runs for the loss of three wickets after India opted to bowl first. India, on the other hand, would’ve expected more from their bowlers, given the favourable conditions and the fact that they chose to bowl first, which is usually not the trend in the subcontinent.
The start of play in the morning was delayed by an hour due to poor ground conditions. In overcast conditions, with moisture and a tinge of grass, the first hour was always going to be challenging for the batters. Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan did well to see off Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj’s opening spells, but the pressure of not getting off the mark got to Zakir. After facing 23 balls without scoring, Zakir’s patience gave way as he pushed forward at Akash Deep with hard hands, resulting in a catch to Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully. Three overs later, Shadman missed a straight delivery that rapped onto his pads but was initially given not out. However, the DRS review went in India’s favour, catching skipper Rohit Sharma by surprise.
Deep’s double blow posed a threat, but Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and former captain Mominul Haque steadied the ship, adding runs in boundaries. To their credit, both batters navigated the remainder of the session well, remaining composed. The first session was evenly balanced, with India striking early and Bangladesh staging a small fightback through Shanto and Mominul.
India resumed after lunch with Ravichandran Ashwin and Deep. Shanto, who had looked comfortable against Ashwin in the first Test, was outwitted by the tall off-spinner. The set-up was masterful: Ashwin first made the ball turn slightly, forcing Shanto to cover the line and block. The next ball was an in-drifter, which kept coming in with the angle. Shanto lunged forward to block but played down the wrong line and was trapped in front of the off stump. From the same spot, one delivery spun away, and the next came back in to trap the Bangladeshi skipper – Ashwin’s mastery on full display.
Mominul, meanwhile, looked in the zone, with a couple of elegant cover drives off Bumrah and Deep showing his confidence. He was decisive in his approach, putting bad balls away to the boundary while respecting the good ones. The only forced shot he played came in the final over of the day when he attempted a flashy drive off Bumrah’s bowling. Aside from that, he looked solid. As a senior batter, he’ll now need to ensure he converts this start into a big score and helps his team post a competitive total.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh 107/3 (Mominul Haque 40*, Najmul Hossain Shanto 31; Akash Deep 2/34, Ravichandran Ashwin 1/22) vs India.