IND vs BAN, 2024-25: Kanpur to offer Black soil pitch in 2nd Test. Will that change India’s bowling combination? Will India feature three spinners?
It was a dominating victory for Team India as Rohit and his men conquered the first Test by decimating Bangladesh by a whopping margin of 280 runs to go 1-0 in the series. Before the buildup to the first Test, there were mounting speculations around using red-soil pitch and how it may behave during the match. The surface turned out to be very pace-friendly, as 20 wickets fell to pace. Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud extracted prodigious movement and zip of the surface on day one, which rattled India’s top order.
But with the help of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, and later Ravindra Jadeja, India were able to bounce back quickly and mount a towering total of 376. However, Bangladesh were not so lucky to survive the onslaught from India’s pacers. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep were hostile, and the trio ripped through the brittle Bangladesh batting line-up to bundle them out cheaply for 149. But by the time the visitors commenced their run chase, the surface had already flattened, which brought the slower bowlers into the equation. The conditions proved fertile for the spinners on the last day of the Test as Ashwin and Jadeja returned figures of 6-88 and 3-58, respectively, to floor Bangladesh for 234.
How will Kanpur track differ from Chennai?Â
But unlike the surface used in Chepauk, a black-soil pitch is expected to be served for the Kanpur Test. A black soil pitch traditionally offers low bounce and often tends to be on the slower side right from the on-set. Bangladesh players are accustomed to playing on such tracks, and the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Taijul Islam, who average 30.92, 25.78, and 28.3, respectively, back home, will be itching to have a go at India’s batters on a surface like this.
But will India, on the other hand, be tempted to rope in another spinner in the form of Axar Patel, who has a five-fer at this venue and averages around 14.16 with the ball? Or will Kuldeep Yadav get an opportunity to trouble Bangladesh with his chinaman bowling? Read on as we attempt to decipher India’s strategy behind getting their spin combination right ahead of the second Test.
Read More: IND vs BAN, Chennai Test: Red soil pitch expected; How will it play out?
Expected changes in playing XI for both teamsÂ
As one can anticipate, the Kanpur pitch will play out a lot differently than the Chennai one. The black-soil pitch will progressively get slower and lower day by day. As opposed to the lively hard deck at Chepauk, it will be hard work for the pacers at Green Park, as there will barely be any life for them.
The spinners, on the other hand, are likely to trouble the batters with their variable bounce while the odd ball may grip or turn viciously. Considering the slow nature of the surface at Green Park, Kanpur, India will be prompted to make some alterations to their spin department. The same goes for Bangladesh, as they look to stay alive in the series. Both teams were spot on in judging the pitch conditions during the first Test and went with two spin-bowling all-rounders each. However, the ploy may differ slightly for the Kanpur Test. It is increasingly likely that India may choose to go with either Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav.
While Kuldeep can be an excellent choice on such slow tracks, India may also look to bolster the strength of their middle order by opting for Axar, who averages almost 40 in home Tests with four half-centuries under his belt. Axar has evolved by leaps and bounds as an all-round cricketer for India in recent times across all formats and maintains a memorable bowling average of 18.65 at home with five five-wicket hauls to his name.
On the flipside, Kuldeep is slightly inexperienced in the Test arena as compared to Axar and has only represented India in 3 Tests. But even with limited Test exposure, Kuldeep boasts a five-fer and a healthy average of 20.35 with 14 wickets to his name. Although in comparison, Axar’s numbers are far better, Kuldeep relies on a bag of tricks and variations to bamboozle the batters, while Axar tends to traditionally bowl with a one-pace flatter trajectory. Furthermore, with two spin-bowling all-rounders already at their disposal, Kuldeep may just be the ideal frontline spin-bowling choice for the home side ahead of the Kanpur Test.
Read More: Ashwin-Jadeja: A lethal duo with both bat & ball
On the other hand, Bangladesh would look to bolster their spin arsenal as well, and Taijul Islam emerges as a viable candidate for them. At present, clouds are surrounding Shakib’s participation in the second Test. The veteran all-rounder sustained a blow on his left index finger while batting during the final day of the first Test. If he recovers on time, Bangladesh may bring in left-arm spinner Taijul Islam in place of Nahid Rana. Taijul has enjoyed formidable success in overseas conditions and is the third-highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh in terms of spin. The 32-year-old has accumulated 38 wickets and bagged three overseas five-fers.
Should Shakib become unavailable for the second Test, the off-spinner Nayeem Hasan will be drafted into the line-up. Nayeem is a young, spin-bowling all-rounder who has made 10 Test appearances for Bangladesh and has three five-fers to his name already, which includes his best figures of 6-105 against Sri Lanka.
What to expect in Kanpur?Â
The Kanpur pitch will predominantly err on the lower side throughout the entirety of the Test match. The batters will be troubled by the lack of bounce, and the spinners are expected to play a key role in dominating the proceedings, especially during the last two days of the Test. Spinners should look to attack the stumps as vigorously as possible, which can potentially bring in several modes of dismissals like bowled, lbw, or caught behind into play.
Batters on both sides will face problems in scoring runs freely. In order to combat the lack of bounce, batters should emphasise being on the front foot as often as possible. Batting is known to get easier as more time is spent in the middle. In the last Test match between India and New Zealand at this very venue, New Zealand batters managed to fend off India’s bowlers and dragged the game to the fifth day to salvage a draw.
But India will have their task cut out. Their batters have had their fair share of problems while facing up to spin in home Tests. The average of several high-profile India batters has been on the decline against spin. Kohli, possessing a career average of 58.65 against spin bowling, has seen this figure drop to precisely half since 2021. In 12 innings, he has been dismissed by spinners on seven occasions. The situation is even more concerning for players such as KL Rahul and captain Rohit Sharma. Rahul’s average has decreased from 42.7 to 27.8, while Rohit, having faced spin in 32 innings, has been dismissed by spinners 20 times since 2021.
Moreover, these are not alien conditions for Bangladesh. They know what it is like to play on such surfaces and what to expect from them. India batters have been vulnerable against spin, and the numbers speak for themselves. But India have deflated the touring teams in the past on pitches like these.
Back in 2021, during the Ahmedabad Test, India spinners launched a scathing attack on the English batters, dismissing them cheaply for 112 and 81. While both India and England encountered difficulties against spin, the game was over in less than two and a half days, and India comfortably got over the line by 10 wickets. As both sides look to ramp up their spin arsenal ahead of the second Test, we can expect to see a fiercely competitive match on the cards.
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