India’s ultra-aggressive batting approach on the penultimate day of the second Test in Kanpur paid rich dividends as they secured a seven-wicket victory to complete a 2-0 whitewash of Bangladesh at the Green Park on Tuesday.
Acknowledging Bangladesh’s dismal Test record in India, Shanto said that his side isn’t thinking about the outcome as such thoughts might drain them emotionally when they face a quality Indian team, comprising world class players across departments.
Skipper Rohit Sharma has already made it clear that the two-Test series against Bangladesh, starting in Chennai on Thursday, is “no dress rehearsal” as the two-time World Test Championship finalists return to the traditional red-ball format for the first time since March.
After announcing the squad, selector Hannan Sarkar said that it was Shoriful’s groin injury that kept him out of the side, and the extra batter was included keeping in mind the Indian conditions.
The opening day of the historic one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand was a non-starter as play was abandoned due to a wet outfield at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground on Monday.
As New Zealand gear up for six Tests in two months, and all of those in the sub-continent, former New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson acknowledged that the inaugural World Test champions will be challenged in a number of ways
“Red-ball cricket has always been the priority. Growing up in the maidans of Mumbai and playing a lot of local cricket, I started playing with the red cherry. The love for the longest format began there, and has always been there,” SKY said.
India, the two-time World Test Championship (WTC) finalists will kickstart the 2025/27 cycle against England with the five Tests at Headingly, Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford and The Oval, with the first match scheduled to begin on June 20.
The loss was only England’s third in 11 fourth-innings chases since the start of the Bazball era, and even if the target was a monumental one, their second innings score of 292 all out was still higher than the previous successful chase by a visiting team in India - West Indies’ 276 for 5 in Delhi in 1987-88.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will soon make an announcement about his replacement.
