Killing them softly

Mirpur, December 21

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Stand-in skipper KL Rahul would be eager to overcome his lean patch as India look to go for the kill in the second Test against Bangladesh, which begins here tomorrow.

The race for the top two spots in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings has become more interesting with India (55.77 PCT) moving up to the second position following South Africa’s (54.55 PCT) heavy loss to Australia (76.92 PCT) in the two-day Test in Brisbane.

The upcoming series against Australia, which starts in Nagpur, will be decisive in India’s bid for a second straight WTC final but they can’t afford any slip-ups against Bangladesh, who showed plenty of fight in the first Test after a poor first innings with the bat.

With regular skipper Rohit Sharma yet to recover from a thumb injury, no changes are expected in the Indian playing XI. The first Test presented a golden opportunity for the likes of Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav and they grabbed it with both hands. The absence of Sharma was hardly felt as Gill shone like a new penny. Having hit his maiden Test ton in Chattogram, he would be keen to build on it. Yadav, playing his first Test since February last year, showcased his artistry with a match haul of eight wickets.

Rahul, too, would look to lead from the front after the disappointment of his two innings in the first Test. Like Chattogram, the Mirupr pitch is expected to be slow and decent for batting, providing Rahul an ideal platform to get runs under his belt ahead of the Australian challenge.

It would be fair to say that Cheteshwar Pujara has consolidated the No. 3 position with a 90 and an unusual attacking 102 not out. It was good to see Pujara going for his shots as India needed to accelerate in the second innings. The stage will also be set for Virat Kohli to score his first Test hundred since November 2019.

India batted at more than four runs per over in the second innings in Chattogram, and it remains to be seen if India would continue with such positive approach again. Considering the conditions, the bowlers will be looking to target the stumps.

As usual, Bangladesh will fancy their chances, given how they batted on Day 4 of the first Test. Rookie opener Zakir Hasan showed he belongs at this level, and senior batters, including Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim, will be aiming to bounce back and make big hundreds. Former captain Mominul Haque too could get a game.

“He’d be the first to admit that in last year he hasn’t got the runs. But he is too good a player to not have around. He will definitely be considered for the second Test,” said head coach Russell Domingo. — PTI

‘Good practice for us before Australia series’

Mirpur: The ongoing two-match Test series against Bangladesh is perfect preparation for the Indian batters before they take on Australia at home on “similar turning tracks” for the high-profile Border-Gavaskar Trophy, batting coach Vikram Rathour said today. India will take on WTC table-toppers Australia in February in a high-profile four-Test series, which begins in Nagpur. “You expect wickets to turn in the subcontinent, and after this we will be playing an important series against Australia where wickets are expected to turn,” Rathour said. “So it’s good practice for us. It will be good preparation for Indian batters. We are not discussing anything tactically but looking forward to playing good cricket.” PTI

16Cheteshwar Pujara is 16 runs away from becoming the eighth India batter to the 7000-run mark in Test cricket.

6If Axar Patel gets six wickets, he will become the joint fourth-fastest bowler to 50 in Tests, getting there in eight matches.

1KL Rahul (99) is one grab away from completing 100 catches in international cricket.

9Zakir Hasan is the ninth batter to score a debut Test century in the fourth innings. Interestingly, the previous batter to achieve this feat, Kyle Mayers, also did it in Chattogram.

12Bangladesh and India have locked horns in 12 Test matches so far, with India winning ten and the Bangla Tigers still awaiting a victory. Two games have ended in draws.