Forceful India too good for timid Bangladesh

Indian bowlers run through the visitors’ batting in the second innings, setting up an easy win in Kanpur for a 2-0 Test series sweep

Kanpur: If India’s batting blitz left Bangladesh bowlers reeling overnight and fighting to salvage a draw in the heavily rain-affected Kanpur Test, the home team’s determination to pull off a win on Tuesday was in no small measure encouraged by the qualification race for the World Test Championship final.

Ravichandran Ashwin was adjudged Man of the Series as he finished with 11 wickets and a century in the Chennai Test. (AFP)

The second Test, after more than two days of play washed out, could have meandered into a tame draw without the context of next year’s WTC final, which India are desperate to reach and win, after losing two title matches.

However, the timid performances of Bangladesh eased Rohit Sharma to victory on Tuesday afternoon, eventually with plenty to spare. Resuming on 26/2, the visitors had to dig in and eat up overs while building a lead that could prove testing for India.

The Kanpur pitch, having been under the covers for two full days, was still good to bat on, but the Bangladesh batters didn’t show the application against a potent bowling attack.

Bangladesh owed their modest first innings total to Mominul Haque’s century. On Tuesday, they stayed afloat and kept India’s bowlers working hard until opener Shadman Islam, who scored 50 (101b, 10x4), and skipper Najmul Shanto (19) stayed together for 13.5 overs in a 55-run fourth-wicket partnership.

At that point Bangladesh were 41 runs ahead, and more importantly had six wickets in hand. But Islam, having just completed his fifty, lost focus, almost steering a wide delivery from Akash Deep to Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully. Former skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (37 – 63b, 7x4), struggling for form, showed some signs of resistance, but Indian bowlers needed that one opening and they ran through the batting. From 93/4 Bangladesh tumbled to 146 all out in just 47 overs.

Shanto fell when he was bowled by Jadeja while playing reverse sweep, and the wickets started tumbling. The dismissal was an example of how Bangladesh didn’t give themselves a fighting chance.

Jadeja and Bumrah ran through the tail. Jadeja took a return catch from Shakib Al Hasan (0), who may have played his last Test unless he features in the home series against South Africa that follows. Bumrah forced Mehidy Hasan Miraz (9) to edge a regulation catch to Pant before cleaning up Mushfiqur.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been a formidable combination on home turf. In the Chennai first Test, their batting was crucial to regain control while the spinners scalped three wickets each in the second innings, leaving the hosts to ease to victory.

With just 95 runs needed, skipper Rohit Sharma (8) and Shubman Gill (6) fell early, but India romped home in 17.2 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who top-scored with 72 on Monday, hammered his second half-century (51 – 45b, 8x4, 1x6). His 58-run partnership with Virat Kohli (29* -- 37b, 4x4) left India on the verge of wrapping it up, which Rishabh Pant did with a glorious boundary off Taijul Islam to mid-on after the young left-handed opener had miscued a big shot.

Ashwin has 522 wickets in Tests, 303 of them coming in his 74 home Tests. His eleventh Player-of-the-Series drew him level with Muttiah Muralitharan’s record.

India’s 18th consecutive Test series wins on home turf also consolidates the position on the WTC table. Three more wins in the next eight matches will send them into their third straight final.

Jasprit Bumrah termed the victory a special one. “I don’t think about adjectives...It’s just good to get the win after we lost two days. Really special win today. So, in this you use your experience. Yes, it’s easier said than done. This was different to what it was in Chennai,” he said.

“We try to communicate and solve the problem in front of you. As I said, we’ve played a lot of cricket in India and understand the nature of the wicket. You find options and discuss with senior players. I’m also in a role now where I help other bowlers. He (Akash Deep) comes up to me quite a lot and asks me ‘what you think I should do?’ He’s got a lot of heart and whenever he bowls, he gives his best,” he said. “Yeah, after the World Cup, we got a break and were prepping for the Test series, and you understand the number of overs you bowl. We have a long Test series in Australia and that’s why he had that break.”

Shanto acknowledged that batting let down Bangladesh. “We didn’t bat well. If you look at all the batters, they played 30-40 balls and then got out. It is important for one batsman to get big runs.”