Will India Include Kuldeep For Kanpur Test?

India took their time to get going in the series opener in Chennai but once they hit their stride they proved unstoppable.

After their thumping 280 run victory in the first Test in Chennai, India will aim to continue their ruthless approach against Bangladesh in the second and final Test, starting in Kanpur on Friday, September 27, 2024.

A 2-0 series whitewash will strengthen India's position at the top of the World Test Championship standings as they stay on course for their third WTC final in a row.

However, it was not plain sailing for India in the first Test in Chennai at least on the opening day. Bangladesh's pace bowlers made most of the conditions after they had elected to bowl on an overcast morning with the pitch also providing a lot of assistance, to leave India reeling on 96/4.

But spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja led India's remarkable comeback with a valiant 199 run stand for the seventh wicket.

Ashwin got his second successive century at his home ground, stroking an entertaining 113 with 11 fours and two sixes, while Jadeja made 86 as the duo took India to 376 in their first innings.

Ashwin also starred with the ball in the second innings, taking 6/88, to become the first player to hit a century and pick five wickets twice at the same venue.

Rishabh Pant's sensational comeback to the Test arena, with a swashbuckling century, was a big boost for India, while Shubman Gill continued his good recent run in red ball cricket.

There will be some concerns over the form of the senior duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, after they failed in both innings in Chennai.

K L Rahul also didn't convince with the bat. He struggled for 16 from 52 balls in the first innings before getting some useful batting practice in the second innings to score an unbeaten 22.

India are top of the WTC standings with a percentage of 71.67%, as the victory in the first Test helped extend their lead on Australia who are second (62.50%).

They will need to ensure that they don't get complacent in the Kanpur Test against Bangladesh since every point matters.

India need to win at least five of their remaining nine Tests during the current WTC cycle to ensure they make it to the WTC final, while also hoping they don't lose points for slow over rates.

Hence, the selectors decided not to take any chances and retained the same squad. But the Kanpur pitch could force India to make some changes in the team.

Traditionally, the pitch at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur is on the slower side and doesn't give the pacers the same amount of assistance, which could help Kuldeep Yadav push his case for a comeback at his home ground.

It will also be important for India to keep Kuldeep in the mix by giving him a Test match whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Ashwin enjoys a good record at this ground, with 16 wickets from two Tests, while Jadeja has 11 wickets from as many games.

Overall, in 23 Tests played at this venue since 1952, India have lost just three games, winning seven while 13 have ended in draws.

India's last defeat in Kanpur came four decades ago -- in 1983 against the West Indies. Since then, India have won five games out of nine, with four ending in draws.

The last Test played at this venue finished in a thrilling draw, against New Zealand in 2021. The Kiwis batted out 94 overs on the final day to finish on 165/9 as they did well to keep out Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel on a slow and low wicket.

Interestingly, except for Shubman Gill, none of the current top order Indian batters featured in that game. Shreyas Iyer had starred with the bat on debut in that match, with a century and a fifty in the two innings for India led by Ajinkya Rahane.

The Indian team management would certainly like a bit of life in the wicket so their in-form pacers and spinners can make an impact, while their batters also enjoy the ball coming on to the bat.

With the all-important tour of Australia scheduled later this year, India would also be looking at workload management but it would not make sense to rest Jasprit Bumrah, who played his first competitive match after a break of nearly couple of months.

However, if he is given a break then left-arm pacer Yash Dayal could be in line to make his Test debut in front of home fans.

Bangladesh, fresh from their historical series triumph in Pakistan, were sent crashing back to earth as India outplayed them in all departments in Chennai. They had a glimmer of hope after reducing India to 144/6 on the opening day but were unable to finish off the lower order as their spinners struggled.

Their major worry will be that their batters came undone on a good wicket in both innings. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was the only Bangladesh batter to get past the 50 run mark in the first Test.

They need to quickly find a solution to counter the likes of Bumrah and Ashwin and look to post a healthy total to challenge the Indians, while the spinners need to back up the good work of their pace bowlers.

At home, India seem virtually unbeatable, but Bangladesh will hope to put up a fight in the second Test.

India have never lost to Bangladesh in a Test match and the perfect record look set to continue.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, K L Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep/Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh?

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• Bangladesh's Tour Of India, 2024