The second Test between India and Bangladesh got underway today at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. The toss was delayed with a wet outfield thanks to overnight and it led to India skipper Rohit Sharma opting to bowl first after winning the toss. With this decision, the 37-year-old became the first captain to bowl in Kanpur after 60 years with the earlier and only instance happening way back in 1964 against England.
Rohit had no hesitation in bowling with the pitch being a little damp and the conditions being overcast in Kanpur. The rain is in the forecast on the opening day with things improving on the second day which could be the reason for India bowling first. Generally, it is a no-brainer in Test matches in Asia for the teams winning the toss to bat first. But in both Test matches of this series, the team winning the toss has bowled first.
For the first time in Indian cricket history, the teams have bowled first after winning the toss in back-to-back Tests in India. It happened twice during the three-match series between India and Sri Lanka in 1997 but not in consecutive Test matches. Coming back to Rohit Sharma's record, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was the last captain to bowl first in Kanpur in Tests 60 years ago.
Moreover, Rohit has also broken the nine-year trend as India have opted to bowl first for the first time in nine years at home. Virat Kohli was the last skipper to do so back in 2015 against South Africa in Bengaluru.
Playing XIs
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran 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(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed
