Big picture: Bangladesh awaits another tough test

It was a display of India’s strength in both batting and bowling. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli combined for just 34 runs in four innings but India had three centuries and two half-centurions. In bowling, their seamers shared eight wickets in Bangladesh’s first innings and the spinners shared nine in the second.

Things won’t get any easier for Bangladesh in Kanpur, where bottom-placed New Zealand secured a draw in the last Test here. There are also some uncertainties regarding the pitch. Ground staff prepared two playing surfaces and until midday on the eve of the game it was not clear which would be used.

Kanpur generally offers good Test match pitches, helping fast bowlers on the first morning before flattening out and helping spinners on the last two days. However, the weather could be a problem this time as rain is forecast for the first three days. This could not only affect the field, but also the shooting decision and team composition.

But all is not bleak for Bangladesh. In their second innings in Chennai, the openers gave them a solid start, followed by the return of Najmul Hossain Shanto to form with 82. In their first innings, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz all got starts. But to be competitive at home against this Indian team, you have to be at your best for much longer periods of time. Can Bangladesh do this?

Form Guide

India WWWWW (last five tests, most recent first)
Bangladesh LWWLL

Spotlight: Shubman Gill and Shakib Al Hasan

Team news: Wait and watch?

India (Probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (Capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (Week), 6 KL Rahul, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Axar Patel, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Zakir Hasan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Litton Das (week), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Pitch and Conditions: Slow and Low Jump?

The red-ground pitch in Chennai had good bounce for both seamers and spinners in the first Test. Kanpur will be different. The two playing fields that are considered for the game are areas with black soil. They are likely to be flatter, have less bounce, and are likely to slow down as the test progresses. All that could change if it rains as forecast and poor light could also become a factor towards the end of each day.

Statistics and trivia: Jadeja doubles the cards

Quotes

“We don’t necessarily pay attention to bad pitches. But we try to make sure the conditions are tough enough for the players to be challenged. A lot of these guys have been playing for so many years. Only if they are challenged will they do it.” Sometimes the thought process is to challenge them differently so that your game and you grow organically and mentally.
India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar about the benefits of playing on different playing fields

“Pitches don’t matter much against teams like England, Australia and India. They will obviously have weapons with which to attack us. They have good batsmen, fast bowlers and spinners. I don’t think the pitch will have any effect. “We need to perform better than we did in Chennai.”
Bangladesh’s all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan