In a rain-interrupted second Test of the Bangladesh tour of India 2024, played at Green Park, Kanpur, India emerged victorious by seven wickets. The match, which was marred by inclement weather, witnessed some scintillating cricket on the available days.
India, having won the toss, opted to field first. The hosts retained its playing XI, while Bangladesh made two changes, bringing Taijul Islam and Khaled Ahmed in place of Nahid Rana and Taskin Ahmed. India’s decision to bowl first, despite overcast conditions, was vindicated by early breakthroughs from Akash Deep. Zakir Hasan was dismissed for a duck, and Shadman Islam was trapped lbw. Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto resisted valiantly, but Ravichandran Ashwin‘s guile ensured Bangladesh ended the day on 107/3.
The second and third days of the match were completely washed out due to rain, leaving the outcome uncertain. However, the fourth day saw some significant milestones and records being broken. Mominul Haque became only the second visiting batter to score a century in ten Tests at Kanpur since 1984. Ravindra Jadeja‘s one-wicket haul made him the second-fastest player to reach 300 wickets and 3000 runs in Test matches.
In India’s first innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal immediately set the tone with aggressive strokeplay. Rohit Sharma‘s two consecutive sixes in the second over cemented India’s intent. The opening pair raced to a fifty in just three overs. Although Mehidy Hasan Miraz broke the partnership, India’s momentum remained unabated. Jaiswal and Shubman Gill continued to dominate, setting a new record for the fastest Test century in 10.1 overs.
India’s dominance continued, swiftly surpassing 150, 200, and 250. With 19 overs remaining, they declared at 285/9, setting a new record for the fastest team to reach this milestone. Bangladesh’s woes deepened as Ashwin dismissed Zakir Hasan, leaving them at 26-2 at the end of the day.
With 437 runs and 18 wickets in the allotted 85 overs of day 4, the final day was ripe with possibility. Ashwin struck early, dismissing first-innings centurion Mominul cheaply. Shadman Islam and Shanto offered spirited resistance, combining caution with aggression to forge a 50-run partnership. However, an ill-advised reverse sweep from the Bangladesh captain against Jadeja triggered a collapse. They went from a respectable 91/3 to a precarious 94/7, with Jadeja claiming three wickets and Akash Deep removing Shadman. Jasprit Bumrah added to the damage, picking up a couple more wickets as the visitors were bundled out for a paltry 146 runs.
Chasing a modest 95 runs to win, Jaiswal’s quickfire 51, complemented by Virat Kohli‘s unbeaten 29, secured India a comfortable seven-wicket victory and an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Jaiswal was deservedly awarded the Man of the Match for his half-centuries in both innings. Ashwin, who contributed 114 runs and 11 wickets throughout the series, was recognised with the Man of the Series honour for his outstanding all-round performance.
With this victory, India solidified their position at the top of the World Test Championship points table, boasting a win percentage of 74.24. Meanwhile, Bangladesh slipped to seventh place with a win percentage of 34.38.