Amid the rain-soaked chaos in Kanpur and Sri Lanka’s historic Test series sweep over New Zealand, India found themselves at an awkward juncture over the weekend. Being the favorites to seal a spot in the World Test Championship final for the third year running, India’s prospects dramatically dimmed after Days 2 and 3 of their second Test against Bangladesh were washed out, increasing the chances of a draw. However, coach Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma finally heaved a sigh of relief on Tuesday after securing a sensational Test and series victory in Kanpur, keeping their hopes alive.
India Win The Test Series Against Bangladesh By 2-0
After day one was washed away by rain, with only 35 overs bowled, the wet outfield came in for vicious attack at the venue for its poor drainage system and that sealed Day 2 and Day 3 as well. This increased the possibility of a draw, which could have given Bangladesh much-needed respite; Bangladesh were at 107/3 after letting go of the first game in the series in Chennai last month in a heavy loss. At the same time, India’s stand on their World Test Championship chances was getting alarming day by day, especially after Sri Lanka reached the third position in the table by whitewashing New Zealand 2-0 in the latter’s homeland.
Team India Sits At The Top Of WTC Chart
Had the Test ended in a draw, India would have needed five wins and a draw from their remaining eight games, which included a home series against New Zealand and a tour to Australia. Fortunately, the weather improved on Monday, and India threw caution to the wind. And so, the bowlers continued to mow down the remaining seven wickets for just 126 runs, while the batsmen ripped apart the Bangladeshi attack with a startling over rate of over eight runs per over and declared at 285 for nine with 45 minutes left. R. Ashwin then had Bangladesh struggling at 26 for two in their second innings.
It was a long drawn battle, with India taking almost three hours to bowl Bangladesh out for 146 runs, setting a target of 95 runs. Then they chased it down in 17.2 overs, losing just two wickets, as Yashasvi Jaiswal notched his second successive fifty of the match. India sits atop the table of the World Test Championship with a PCT of 74.24, following eight wins in 11 matches this cycle. They require three more wins from the remaining eight Tests to guarantee a spot in the final. A series sweep against poor New Zealand, who are still seventh with only three wins from eight matches, would seal Rohit’s team’s spot in the final, regardless of what happens against Australia.
India’s next Test will be three-match series against New Zealand from October 16 to November 5, at Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai.
