India captain Rohit Sharma surprised everyone when there was a toss at the start of the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. Team India was expected to field three spinners in the second Test, especially considering that the pitch at the venue was prepared with black earth, making additional support for spinners certain. However, Rohit chose to bowl first after winning the toss and named an unchanged eleven, which meant that all three pacers – Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep – retained their place in the team.

However, it doesn’t look like Rohit initially wanted to play three seamers in Kanpur. Kuldeep Yadav, who did not play in the first Test against Bangladesh, had a lengthy net session before the start of the match, suggesting he could be in the starting XI. However, the cloudy conditions at the Greenfield Stadium seem to have made Rohit and the team management change their plans.

It must also be noted that Rohit’s decision to bowl first after the win at home was the first by an Indian captain in nine years. The last time India bowled first after a home win was against South Africa in Bengaluru in 2015. India’s captain in this match was Virat Kohli and it ended in a draw.

“We will bowl first. The pitch seems a bit soft so we need to attack early and want our three seamers to take advantage. We didn’t start well with the bat in the first game but we found a way to score and the bowlers did it. I don’t expect anything different here (Bangladesh fight). We will be challenged but we have the experience to bounce back,” Rohit said during the toss.

Toss update

captain @ImRo45 wins the toss and #TeamIndia have decided to bowl in Kanpur.

Live – https://t.co/JBVX2gyyPf#INDvBAN | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/Hsl0HcoVTa

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 27, 2024

However, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto wanted to bat first and was happy that his counterpart chose to bowl.

“Happy to bat first, we wanted to bat anyway. When we get a start as batters, we have to score well. I hope our batters can score big today. Looks like a good wicket to bat on. New ball strikes will be key.” However, two changes are not included. Nahid and Taskin are not there.

India’s XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(f), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj