After the Indian cricket team’s dominant 280-run victory against Bangladesh in Chennai, focus shifts to Kanpur where the second and final match of the series will be played. For the match, starting September 27, a black soil pitch is reportedly being prepared, contrary to the red soil pitch that was laid for the series opener. The Chepauk pitch had something to offer to everyone, with both pacers and spinners enjoying bowling on the track in different phases. However, a similar balance might be witnessed as India and England square off in Kanpur.
According to ESPNCricinfo, the Kanpur pitch is likely to be much flatter, with low bounce expected, in comparison the red soil pitch in Chepauk. With the ball expected to keep low, batters would need to adopt a more defensive approach than they did in the first match. As compared to pacers, spinners are likely to get more out of the pitch.
What Changes Could India Make In Kanpur?
With spin bowling likely to be a bigger weapon in Kanpur, the management might opt for a different strategy than fielding three pacers, that they did in Chennai. Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj all played against Bangladesh in the first Test. In Kanpur, the Indian team might benefit from benching one of the pacers in favour of Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav.
With the pitch expected to offer low bounce, Kuldeep might be a better fit for the Indian team than Axar, since the latter does better in pitches offering higher bounce. Other than a straight swap between a pacer and a spinner, the Indian team isn’t expected to make any change.
India’s squad for the 2nd Test against Bangladesh: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal
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