India captain Rohit Sharma admitted they took a gamble by pushing for a result in the rain-affected second Test against Bangladesh, and was delighted it paid off, leading to a memorable win in Kanpur. With two-and-a-half days lost to bad weather at the Green Park Stadium, only 35 overs were played in the first three days, making a draw the likely outcome. Despite this, India managed to bowl out Bangladesh for 233 on day four, setting the stage for an unexpected result.
Rohit led the charge, smashing the first two balls he faced for sixes, and India went on to surpass Bangladesh's total in just 28 overs, a rate never seen before in Test cricket. By the end of day four, India declared their innings at 285-9 and had already removed both Bangladesh openers. On Tuesday, they wrapped up the remaining eight Bangladesh wickets in an extended morning session, bowling the tourists out for 146.
Needing 95 to win, India lost three wickets but still managed to achieve the target with more than a session to spare. Rohit acknowledged the strategic thinking behind their approach, stating, "We had to consider how the game could progress. On day four, our goal was to dismiss them quickly and see what we could do with the bat." The pitch offered little to the bowlers, but Rohit praised the team's effort in extracting a result from it.
The risk of batting at such a rapid pace was evident, but Rohit was willing to take it. "When you're trying to score that fast, it's easy to get out cheaply. Even if we had been all out for 150, we wanted to give ourselves a chance to secure a result," he said. India's batting on Monday was breathtaking, reaching 50 in three overs, 100 in 10.1 overs, and 200 in 24.2 overs—the fastest ever by a Test team.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted his team's batting was subpar. "We didn't bat well," he said, reflecting on their performance. "Our batters played 30-40 balls and then got out. It's crucial for one batsman to score big runs." On Tuesday, India's Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah dominated the extended morning session, taking eight wickets and bowling Bangladesh out for just 146 in their second innings.
India needed 95 to win and achieved it with more than a session to spare. Yashasvi Jaiswal led the chase with a fluent 51, while Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 29, helping India secure their 18th consecutive Test series victory on home soil. Bangladesh faced an early setback on the final day, resuming at 26-2. Ravichandran Ashwin claimed his third wicket, dismissing Mominul Haque for two. Shadman Islam and Shanto offered some resistance with a 55-run partnership, but poor shot selection and smart bowling changes by India led to their dismissals.
Jadeja bowled Shanto after a failed reverse sweep, and Shadman completed his fifty before edging Akash Deep to Yashasvi Jaiswal at slip. Jadeja then removed Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan in successive overs, while Bumrah sent back Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Mushfiqur Rahim hung around for a while before Bumrah dismissed him with the final delivery of the session. India lost Rohit and Gill early, but Jaiswal's second half-century of the match sealed victory with a session to spare.
