On Monday, with the clouds parting for the first time in the ongoing Test match at Green Park, Kanpur, and the sun shining brightly, Team India seized the moment to force a result in the remaining two days of cricket. From the first play of the day, it was evident that India’s approach was unabashedly aggressive as they aimed to maximize their chances in the race for the World Test Championship (WTC) finals.
During merely the first half-hour, India opted for the conventional route of an attacking gameplay. The bowlers targeted the line outside the off-stump while a four-man slip cordon stood ready. Fast forward an hour, and moments like Mohammed Siraj bowling a short ball to Mominul Haque—right after Haque had dispatched two bumpers to the boundary—highlighted India’s fierce intent. Rohit Sharma’s strategy to employ two short mid-wickets, even when the pitch offered minimal assistance in terms of bounce and turn, was another testament to their proactive stance. The final session was sprinkled with unconventional shots such as the reverse sweep by Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja off Shakib Al Hasan.
The day’s play, which witnessed 514 balls, was rife with emphatic moments, none more so than Rohit Sharma stepping out to Khaled Ahmed and launching a six. Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan admitted post-day, it took them two entire overs to comprehend India’s intentions—by which time Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal had already smashed two sixes and four boundaries.
Records fell fast. The fastest 50, 100, 150, 200, and even 250 runs were recorded on this day. India wasn’t playing by traditional Test cricket rules, nor were they adhering to the Bazball style of aggressive yet strategic Test cricket played by England. This was a display resembling T20 cricket in a red-ball format. Despite an average run rate of a high-octane 8.22 runs per over, compared to England’s 4.57, India clearly dominated.
Their approach wasn’t about preserving traditional Test cricket or specifically compensating for Green Park’s conditions. It was about leveraging the opportunity they had despite the uncooperative weather in the first three days, which allowed only 35 overs of play for Bangladesh to amass 107 for 3. India was tasked with the Herculean effort of picking 17 more opposition wickets on a largely unresponsive pitch and chasing the resultant total to keep their WTC final hopes alive.
Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, elucidated the aggressive strategy adopted on the fourth day: “With the loss of two days, this morning’s message was clear: positive intent will be key.
. There’s still a lot of time left, and it’s important to show that intent. The boys did incredibly well with the ball and created pressure to bring about wickets. The intent shown with the bat was awesome and caught the opposition off guard. It was always part of our game plan to push forward for a win.”
India’s uniform attack strategy permeated from the first over to the last. Be it leaking runs to scalp a wicket or sacrificing a wicket for quick runs, India was unrelenting in taking calculated risks. By the day’s end, even with only a 52-run lead over Bangladesh, it was clear who was dictating the contest’s pace.
Rohit Sharma’s proactive captaincy included using unorthodox field placements to lure batters into traps. Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan succumbed quickly while Mominul Haque managed the Indian attack through effective pull shots and sweeps to ease any short-ball threats. Mominul, collaborating with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, defied Indian bowlers for nearly an hour before Jasprit Bumrah’s critical spell turned the tide and ended their innings. Fielding efforts like Rohit’s one-handed catch at mid-off and Siraj’s diving effort at long-off also proved pivotal.
However, a few errors from Bangladesh aided India’s dominance. Misfields, missed run-outs, and failed reviews were detrimental, notably when Bangladesh failed to appeal for Rohit’s caught behind in the third over. Though Rohit added only four more runs, Virat Kohli capitalized on a failed run-out attempt by Khaled Ahmed and went on to add 45 runs off subsequent 30 balls faced.
As they look forward to the final day, India’s intent to win is unequivocal, in contrast to Bangladesh, who are contemplating a more conservative approach. Mehidy Hasan Miraz stated, “Playing to win requires ample time. Tomorrow, our focus is on batting long. We may consider playing to win based on the situation.”
While India’s dominance and Miraz’s cautious assessment set the tone, the Kanpur Test remains finely balanced. The day ahead promises to be a thrilling contest, as both teams vie for supremacy.