Following a comprehensive win by 280 runs in the first Test in Chennai, India will be looking to close out the two-match series against Bangladesh on a high with yet another dominating performance in Kanpur. The Indian cricket team were put under some pressure a couple of times in the first Test last week, but they managed to find a way to get out of troublesome situations before returning the favour to Bangladesh, and the visitors weren’t able to handle it.
In this article, SportsTiger looks at India’s probable playing XI versus Bangladesh for the second Test.
Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C)
Yashasvi Jaiswal batted exceptionally in the first innings of the Chennai Test, scoring a fifty on a pitch helping the Bangladesh pacers, who had picked up a few early wickets of the Indian batting lineup in the first hour, which will keep him in good stead in the upcoming match. Rohit Sharma didn’t last long in either of the two innings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, but his leadership skills were on full display on the field during the Test match, which were crucial in helping the Indian cricket team restrict Bangladesh to sub-par totals in both the innings.
Middle Order: Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul
Shubman Gill was dismissed without troubling the scorers in the first innings before he made amends with a hundred in the second innings against Bangladesh, and he would like to be more consistent in the Test format in the coming months. Virat Kohli looked fluent in the second innings of the Chennai Test match after a soft dismissal in the first one, but he will be trying to get a big score to his name before moving to a bigger challenge in the coming months.
Rishabh Pant made his return to Test cricket after an elongated absence, and the 26-year-old played as if he didn’t miss a beat with the bat or behind the stumps, scoring a quick-fire hundred in the second innings. KL Rahul didn’t have the best of Test matches with the bat against Bangladesh, but he is seemingly in the plans of the Indian cricket team in the longest format in the coming months, which will allow him some time to get back to his optimum form.
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravindra Jadeja has been one of the most consistent players in the Test format for India in the last five years or so, and he didn’t disappoint when Bangladesh had the Indian cricket team reeling at 144/6 before picking up six wickets across two innings of the visitors. Ravichandran Ashwin was given the Player of the Match award for his heroic exploits at his home ground, MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, scoring his sixth Test hundred in the first innings before picking up his 37th five-wicket haul in the Test format, showcasing how valuable he is to the Indian cricket team.
Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Kuldeep Yadav, who didn’t play on a helpful pitch for the fast bowlers in the first Test in Chennai, could be replacing Akash Deep in the second Test in Kanpur since the pitch at this venue is expected to provide assistance to the spinners. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah took five wickets in the first Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai, including four in the first innings, while Mohammed Siraj took two wickets in the first innings.