India v Bangladesh 2nd Test: Rain plays spoilsport at the Green Park

Kanpur: The second day of the Kanpur Test between India and Bangladesh was abandoned on Saturday due to rain, following a shortened Day 1. There are further rain forecasts for Day 3 on Sunday, raising the possibility of a draw at Green Park.

India, 1-0 up in the two-match series and heading the table chasing a spot in next year’s World Test Championship final, will be anxious to win with the home series against New Zealand and the tough tour of Australia to follow.

Rohit Sharma’s team would have factored in a 2-0 result against Bangladesh in those calculations. Three wins out of the next eight Tests (3 vs New Zealand at home, 5 vs Australia away) should do it, though a win in Kanpur would be a nice cushion.

India’s home Test series against New Zealand starts on October 16 at Bengaluru. The other two Tests are scheduled in Pune from October 24 and Mumbai from November 1.

India lead the WTC standings with a percentage points tally of 71.67 after 10 matches, putting them in prime position to make their third consecutive final. However, with rain looming large over the second Test, a draw would mean the performances of other contenders too could come into the equation.

Persistent rain kept both India and Bangladesh inside the dressing room for about one hour on Saturday morning before they returned to their hotels. Bangladesh were 107/3 when play ended early on Friday, after only 35 overs were possible. It had left the teams and a large number of fans who turned up frustrated.

The last time an entire day’s play was washed out in a Test in India was at Bengaluru against South Africa in 2015. Incidentally, it was also the last time India opted to field in a home Test before this game.

Rain overnight and drizzle in the morning didn’t allow the ground staff to remove covers. This despite three super-soppers being pressed into action at the Green Park. “If there was no drizzle, we could have started in an hour’s time. The ground is still perfect for play,” chief curator Shiv Kumar said on Saturday.

Besides a continuous drizzle, poor visibility also remained a big concern and conditions did not improve, even after the umpires called off proceedings at 2:15 pm. The weather forecast in this industrial town is for heavy rain on Sunday, but Monday and Tuesday are likely to be sunny and warm.

On Friday, the start of the match was delayed by an hour. Assessing the overcast conditions, skipper Rohit Sharma chose to bowl. Although Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj teased Bangladeshi batters in the early overs, they could not strike. Third seamer Akash Deep did the trick with a two-wicket haul.

To start with, Bangladesh openers Shadman Islam and Zakir Hasan remained alert. Zakir struggled and was dismissed for a 24-ball duck by Akash Deep, who continues to make key breakthroughs as a first-change bowler. Yashasvi Jaiswal took a sharp low catch at gully to remove Zakir, followed by Shadman’s dismissal, leg before, after a successful Indian review.

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque steadied the innings with a 51-run stand before Ashwin claimed his 420th wicket in Asian conditions by bowling Shanto with a delivery that didn’t turn. This scalp moved Ashwin into second place for most wickets in Asia, surpassing Anil Kumble (419). Muttiah Muralitharan heads that list with 612 wickets.

Mominul gained confidence after a shaky start and played some fine shots, while Mushfiqur Rahim settled down at the other end as Bangladesh showed resistance after their 280-run loss in the first Test in Chennai.