India won the toss and elected to bowl first in the second and final Test of the two-match series at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Coming off a comprehensive 280-run victory in the first Test at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, India retained their winning combination, opting for an unchanged XI.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, made two changes to their side, replacing Nahid Rana and Taskin Ahmed with Khaled Ahmed and Taijul Islam.
Indias captain, Rohit Sharma, emphasized the need to capitalize on the soft pitch early in the game.
“We are going to bowl first. The pitch seems a bit soft, so we have to make early inroads, and we want our three seamers to make use of it. We didn’t start well with the bat in the first game, but we found a way to score, and the bowlers did the job. I expect no different here – we will be challenged, but we have the experience to bounce back. Same team,” Rohit stated during the toss.
On the other hand, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto expressed contentment with batting first, believing his team has the opportunity to put pressure on India by putting up a substantial score.
“Happy to bat first, we wanted to bat anyway. As a batter, if we get a start, we have to score well. I hope our batters can score big today. Looks like a good wicket to bat on. New ball batting will be key though. Two changes. Nahid and Taskin aren’t playing. Taijul and Khaled are in,” Shanto said, highlighting the importance of their top-order performance.
Bangladesh struggled in the first Test, particularly with their batting, and will be looking to rectify that in the series finale.
Also READ: IND vs BAN 2024, 2nd Test – Kanpur Weather Forecast, Test Stats & Records at Green Park
Reason for Kuldeep Yadav’s omission
Despite his solid performances in recent matches, Kuldeep Yadav did not feature in India’s playing XI for this Test. The decision was influenced by overcast conditions in Kanpur, which prompted the Indian team management to favour a more pace-heavy attack, expecting early movement from the pitch. The playing surface at Green Park traditionally offers assistance to the bowlers early on, with straw-colored grass providing enough movement to trouble the batters. Historically, first-innings totals are higher, but scores tend to decrease as the game progresses.
IND vs BAN: Playing XI of both teams for the Kanpur Test
Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
