Kanpur Test: Can Rain Come as a Curveball for India?

Kanpur: One of the greatest pleasures of both watching and playing Test cricket lies in the anticipation and excitement of the first day. The team management must carefully consider various factors such as weather conditions, the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition, the characteristics of the pitch and venue, in order to select a team that has the best chance of winning the match. Unlike in shorter formats of the game where 'impact players' can often turn the tide of a game single-handedly, in Test cricket, every decision counts and there is no room for error. The choices made on the first day must be embraced, regardless of whether they go according to plan or not.

The second Test between India and Bangladesh at Kanpur will be an even greater challenge in a sense with rain forecast on the first three days. The pitch might have more juice, so will an additional seamer help or will the general ‘low and slow’ nature of the Green Park pitch prevail?

Either which way, India skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir will need to have multiple plans in place and a firm decision can only be made at the time of the toss. Even then, it might be a bit of a gamble.

The Chennai Test saw India eventually winning by a handsome 280-run margin. But at one point, the Bangladesh seamers had India in a fair bit of trouble at 144/6. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja helped India turn things around but it could have all gone very wrong.

The toss will be key in that sense. If India win, would they let their seamers cut loose? In which case, they may definitely want more than two in the line-up. So, will Kuldeep Yadav still make it to the XI?

A drizzle on Thursday morning turned into heavy rain that lasted for almost an hour, and thereafter it was a bright sunny day. The pitch was under covers and it would have sweat a little as well. More confusion and more drama; isn’t that what Test cricket needs?

The conditions might also mean that batting won’t be easy. If the players are constantly going off the field and coming back on, it might lead to lapses in concentration for the batters. The moving ball will also pose a challenge, especially for Rohit and Virat Kohli, who looked off-colour in the first Test.

“We don’t particularly pattern bad pitches,” said India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. “But we try to make sure the conditions are tough enough so that the players are challenged. A lot of these guys have played for so many years. Only if they’re challenged are they going to get better. So sometimes the thought process is just to challenge them differently so that your game and you, organically and mentally, grow.”

While Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant took the match away from Bangladesh with brilliant hundreds in the second innings, India would like nothing more than to see their most experienced players find their best form. If anything, they looked a bit rusty at Chennai and a few more days in practice would have helped them.

On the Bangladesh side of things, the focus will be on getting the best out of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. When the two experienced players are on top of their game, they are a different side. And to put up a good fight against India, they’ll need to be.

In Chennai, Shakib was seen biting the helmet strap to keep his head steady while batting. His discomfort while bowling was also noted, and it remains to be seen how much he can contribute with the ball in Kanpur. Bangladesh’s head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe confirmed Shakib’s availability for this Test but hinted at the possibility of managing his workload.

To compete against India in India requires a high level of consistency, and if the senior players can show the way, the visitors will be in a far better place.

“Pitches don’t matter much against teams like England, Australia and India,” said Shakib. “They will obviously have weapons with which they can attack us. They have quality batsmen, fast bowlers and spinners. I don’t think the pitch will have any effect. We have to perform better than we played in Chennai.”

In their second innings in Chennai, their openers provided a solid platform and No.3 Najmul Hossain Shanto returned to form with a well-made 82. The performance would have given them more confidence but a different venue will challenge them in a new way.

In the last Test match in Kanpur in 2021, New Zealand’s tail famously held on to secure a thrilling draw. The match, in its own way, might motivate both India and Bangladesh. For now, over to the first day morning and the drama that it brings.