India take on Bangladesh in the second and final Test match of the series in Kanpur starting Friday, September 27. Who knows, this might be the last time Shakib Al Hasan is seen in whites for Bangladesh even though he has expressed his desire to finish at home next month. Bangladesh will have extra motivation to draw the series and go into the T20Is with the momentum, however, the hosts will be confident of getting another positive result.
There has been a bit of rain due to an unseasonal monsoon in Northern India in late September. The wet conditions might have an impact on what is generally a good surface in Kanpur. It will be a black-soil pitch and hence, the bounce might be a bit lower than what the players encountered in the first Test in Chennai.
Green Park Stadium, Kanpur pitch report
Green Park has generally produced some very solid surfaces for Test matches in recent times given the aggregate in the last two games crossed 1000-mark in 2016 and 2021. India won in 2016 against New Zealand but the 2021 fixture against the very same opposition ended in a draw. However, weather conditions might dictate the proceedings as to how the pitch plays, especially on the first couple of days. The curator Shiv Kumar has assured a well-contested match with pitch helping both the batters and the bowlers equally.
"There will be that Chennai match feeling. It will have something for everyone. It will offer bounce in the first two sessions and it will be pretty good for batting for the first two days. Then, the spinners will come into play on the last three days," Kumar told PTI.
If it remains overcast since it has rained a bit on the eve of the Test match, the captain winning the toss will be inclined to bowl but Bangladesh wouldn't want to bat fourth again. Hence, if Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto wins the toss, expect him to bat first but they will have to negotiate the first hour, rather first couple of sessions cautiously. Expect the surface to stay similar to Chennai, good enough to bat for all five days and not break and crack as much, with spinners coming into the game later on with a bit of help for the seamers on first morning.
