For 26 minutes on Thursday, in the conference room of Green Park Stadium, all attention was firmly on Shakib Al Hasan. The veteran Bangladesh all-rounder nonchalantly dropped details of his conversation with the board chief and the selectors, hinting at an imminent end to his Test career. The country’s legendary cricketer wishes for a fitting farewell at home in Mirpur, but the volatile political climate presents considerable risks. Therefore, the Kanpur Test, starting on Friday, may very well be his last in this format.
While uncertainty prevails over whether Shakib will indeed bring the curtains down on his Test career at Green Park, another left-arm spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, is set to make his home debut in international cricket, seven years into his career. For either cricketer to hope for a memorable occasion—be it a fond farewell or a grand welcome—they would need to bank on effective counter-measures by the state association against the predicted rains over the next three days.
Green Park, a ground steeped in the rich history of Indian cricket, reflects a quintessential 1990s Indian stadium but lacks the charm. A segment of the stand is under scrutiny for accommodating large crowds after last-minute permissions, practice nets are in close proximity to the boundary ropes, and floodlights failed the last time India hosted a Test here.
In response to allegations, the venue director assured that the ground is fully prepped to host the second Test against Bangladesh, with all necessary clearances obtained and a record crowd anticipated.
The shortcomings of Green Park are an open secret, even for its hosts—the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association. In recent years, they have favored hosting higher-profile matches at the newer venue in the state—Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium, which boasts modern-day enhancements, including a significantly superior drainage system.
A formal drizzle lasting just eight minutes had once rendered Green Park unfit for play for an entire day during a Duleep Trophy match in Kanpur seven years ago. However, the venue director is confident in their preparedness to counter predicted frequent drizzles: the tarpaulin sheets that almost entirely cover the ground, two super-soppers, and a self-certified statement of the quality of the drainage system.
However, Green Park faces more than just weather-related challenges. The exterior walls of the stadium complex, showcasing advertisements for paan masala brands with accompanying red splatters, are currently being repainted white. Furthermore, just days after protests from a right-wing group demanding a no-play stance with Bangladesh were subdued, a monkey attack at the stadium emerged. “No need to worry about the monkey,” the venue director assured, adding humorously, “We’ve called langurs to deal with them.”
As the grand vision of the ‘Shine Green Park’ Test was presented, it was met with enthusiastic table-thumping by the organizers. A louder call for ‘thumping applause’ was made when Rajiv Shukla’s contributions to Kanpur cricket were acknowledged. While expressing disappointment over being questioned about the venue’s readiness to host a cricket match, an appeal was made to draw in larger crowds for the Test. This will only be the second Test held at the venue in eight years.
For the venue director, the scheduled five-day contest is far more than a cricket match; it’s the ‘pride of Kanpur.’ Families of martyrs from in and around Kanpur will be invited and honored, and a tree will be planted in their honor to make ‘Green Park even greener.’
“This Test match will be played on the theme of ‘Shine Green Park,’ ‘Shine Kanpur,'” explained the director. “This match is about the vikaas [development] of Green Park, the vikaas of Kanpur,” he announced before boasting about record ticket sales.
. “We’ve sold more tickets than the previous time. This time, the ticket sales are worth INR 1.15 Crore, compared to last time’s INR 93 lakh.”
All these claims will be put to the test starting Friday when Bangladesh, amidst their own set of cricketing struggles, will look to level the series against a formidable Indian side. The spotlight may be stolen by the cricket itself, especially by how Shakib and Kuldeep perform in what could be a pivotal game for both. If the spotlight remains on the game despite potential rain delays, it will bode well for the cricketers, the stadium, the organizers, and largely for Test cricket.
When: Starting Friday, September 27, 2024, 9:30 AM IST
Where: India vs Bangladesh, 2nd Test, Green Park, Kanpur
What to expect: Rain is predicted for the first three days, with overcast conditions providing some assistance to pacers on a pitch expected to stay low and turn early.
Team News:
India: Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah opted out of the optional practice session a day before the game. India might favor playing three spinners, which could see Kuldeep Yadav included at the expense of a pacer.
Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj/Jasprit Bumrah.
Bangladesh: Due to rain, the visitors missed practice the day before the game. Shakib managed two brief sessions in the nets on Wednesday but faced discomfort and only hit 10 deliveries. The coach, however, assured that there had been no adverse reports from the team physio. Bangladesh might also consider an additional spinner.
Probable XI: Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed/Nahid Rana, Taijul Islam.
What they said:
“In this Test match, if we can score 350 or somewhere around that, it will be a significant improvement. Scoring 350 to 400 in the first innings will instill a lot of confidence and boost our team.” – Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh all-rounder.
“I don’t know which surface we will play on yet. Both pitches look good. Kanpur is generally known for decent pitches. With the conditions and forecast, it will be interesting to see how the conditions turn up in the morning. Much will depend on that. It is too early for us to judge and decide or have any concrete thoughts on the pitch or the conditions.” – Abhishek Nayar, India’s assistant coach.