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Indian skipper Rohit Sharma shed light on the team's strategy after winning the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. The hosts clinched the two-match series 2-0 to kick off their home season in style.
The first day of the second Test in Kanpur ended abruptly due to persistent rain. Similar weather conditions and a wet outfield led to Day 2 and Day 3 being called off. When play resumed on Day 4, the Indian bowlers knocked over the Bangladesh batters for just 233 runs before taking charge with the bat.
India then declared their innings within 35 overs, with 285 runs on the board and a lead of just 52 runs. But the strategy to end the innings early and get Bangladesh's batters out on the field again worked well, as the visitors were reduced to 26/2 at Stumps on Day 4.
The Indian bowlers then wreaked havoc on Day 5 and bowled out the visiting side for a paltry 146, setting themselves a target of just 95 runs.
During the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma spoke on how the team’s plan was more about the overs that they wanted to bowl and not the runs they scored.
“To be honest we had to think a lot to keep the game moving forward. When we came on day four, we wanted to get them out as early as possible and see what we can do with the bat. It was not about the runs we get but the overs we wanted to bowl at them. The pitch didn't have much for bowlers but to get a game out of that pitch was a great effort from the bowlers. The batters were willing to take the risk and we were ready to give ourselves a chance at a result.”
India lost three wickets while chasing the 95-run target, but bagged an easy win in the second session of the final day.
Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored for the side with a half-century, his second in the Test after a 72 in the first innings, and was named the Player of the Match. Ravichandran Ashwin, meanwhile, claimed the Player of the Series award.
"The guy can do the job the team is expecting him to do" - Rohit Sharma showers praise on Akash Deep
Rohit Sharma was all praise for Akash Deep, who performed brilliantly in both games of the series. The seamer played a key role with the ball, picking up wickets at crucial junctures in the game. When asked about his game, Rohit said:
“Akash has been good and he's played a lot domestic cricket. There's enough overs in the legs and the guy can do the job the team is expecting him to do. He can bowl long spells and we want to create a bunch of bowlers who are ready to play Test cricket at any given point. If someone is injured, you should be able to replace them.”
In four innings, Akash Deep picked up five wickets at an average of 20.40 and an economy of 3.00, which was the second-best for India in the series after Jasprit Bumrah’s 2.88.
