India Opts to Bowl First in Kanpur Test Against Bangladesh
India captain Rohit Sharma elected to bowl first after winning the toss in the first Test against Bangladesh at Green Park in Kanpur. The decision marked a departure from India’s recent home Test strategy, as they had not chosen to bowl first since 2015.
The toss was delayed by an hour due to a wet outfield caused by overnight rain. Rohit explained that the pitch had a slight softness and more grass than usual, which influenced his decision to bowl. He anticipated that India’s three seamers, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep, would exploit the conditions.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto expressed a preference for batting first, despite the overcast conditions. Their team opted for a spin-heavy attack, including Taijul Islam and Khaled Ahmed, who replaced Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana.
The contrasting approaches highlighted the different interpretations of the pitch conditions. India believed the seamers would have an advantage, while Bangladesh favored their spinners.
Team Lineups:
India:
* Rohit Sharma (c)
* Yashasvi Jaiswal
* Shubman Gill
* Virat Kohli
* Rishabh Pant (wk)
* KL Rahul
* Ravindra Jadeja
* R Ashwin
* Akash Deep
* Jasprit Bumrah
* Mohammed Siraj
Bangladesh:
* Shadman Islam
* Zakir Hasan
* Najmul Hossain Shanto (c)
* Mominul Haque
* Mushfiqur Rahim
* Shakib Al Hasan
* Litton Das (wk)
* Mehidy Hasan Miraz
* Taijul Islam
* Hasan Mahmud
* Khaled Ahmed
