IND vs BDESH 2024/25, IND vs BAN 2nd Test Match Report, September 27

Bangladesh 107 for 3 (Mominul 40*, Shanto 31, Akash Deep 2-34) against India

A combination of poor light and heavy rain meant that only 35 overs were possible on the opening day of the second Test between India and Bangladesh at Kanpur, in which Bangladesh scored 107 for 3.

The pitch itself was delayed an hour due to a wet outfield caused by overnight rain. When the toss finally took place, the coin fell in India’s favor. Under overcast skies, Rohit Sharma had no hesitation in choosing to bowl first – the first time India had done so in a home Test since 2015.

Rohit expected his three seamers – India fielded an unchanged XI – to exploit the conditions. He said the pitch was a bit soft and there was a bit more grass than the usual Kanpur surface. Bangladesh interpreted the conditions completely differently. Not only did they want to bat first, but they also chose three spinners.

Jasprit Bumrah moved the ball both ways and bowled three maidens to start, but couldn’t take a wicket. Mohammed Siraj also did not enjoy success as Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan survived the early spells. Zakir, in fact, could not open his account despite 20 balls during this period.

Things changed when Akash Deep was introduced in the ninth over. With his third ball, Zakir walked towards him and headed it towards the gully, where Yashasvi Jaiswal came down to his right and grabbed it with both hands. The television referee was consulted on the fairness of the catch. He had only one good angle but that was enough for him to deduce that the ball was falling straight into Jaiswal’s hands.

A few overs later, Akash Deep struck again. Continuing around the wicket, he got one to beat Shadman’s inside edge and hit it on the pad. The on-field umpire denied the huge weight call – it looked like the ball, at best, would have clipped leg stump. India opted for a review and, to everyone’s surprise, the throw showed the ball hitting a good portion of leg stump.

Shanto came out with a positive mindset and spotted a few streaky boundaries on the outer half of the bat. Mominul, too, started timidly but gained confidence as the innings progressed. He picked up four each off Akash Deep and Siraj via the ramp before driving Bumrah through the covers.

While the last session before lunch was underway, it started to rain, delaying the second session by 15 minutes. When play resumed, it didn’t take long for R Ashwin to take a try with his arm around the wicket and beat Shanto’s inside edge to trap him in weight for 31. This ended the 51-run stand for the third wicket.

Mominul and Mushfiqur Rahim then had some nervous moments. Akash Deep got the outside edge of Mushfiqur, but he moved to four in the space between third slip and gully. Three overs later, Mominul went in pursuit of a full delivery from Bumrah, only to edge it over the cordon for another boundary.

It was also the last time before it got too dark to continue. Soon it started to rain, forcing the referees to stop play just before 3 p.m. local time.