India tightened their grip on the rain-hit second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur on Monday, reducing the visitors to 26 for two in their second innings. Star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin struck twice to leave Bangladesh trailing by 26 runs with two days remaining.
Earlier, India declared their first innings at 285 for nine, setting Bangladesh a target of 312. Yashasvi Jaiswal (71 off 52) and KL Rahul (68 off 43) played aggressive knocks to propel India to a commanding position. Virat Kohli also contributed with a fluent 47 off 35 balls.
Bangladesh’s veteran left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan and off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz shared eight wickets between them to restrict India’s free-flowing batting. Shakib claimed four wickets for 78 runs, while Miraz picked up four for 41.
In response, Bangladesh were bundled out for 233 in their first innings. India’s bowlers, led by Mohammed Siraj (3/30) and Umesh Yadav (3/53), shared the spoils.
With Ashwin’s early strikes in Bangladesh’s second innings, India are now in a dominant position. The visitors need to bat out of their skins to save the match, while India will be looking to wrap up the victory and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the two-match series.
