 "Yashasvi Jaiswal starred in India's seven-wicket victory in Kanpur with back-to-back half-century, scoring at over a run-a-ball in each knock. AP")
Yashasvi Jaiswal produced another sparkling knock as India chased down a target of 95 with ease to complete a 2-0 sweep of the Test series against Bangladesh with an seven-wicket victory.
India ended up winning yet another Test on home soil despite a majority of the game to incessant rain.
Jaiswal struck a second consecutive half-century at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium, scoring 51 off 45 balls and getting dismissed when the hosts were just three runs away from victory.
Virat Kohli, who added 58 for the third wicket with the left-handed opener, got the hosts over the line, remaining unbeaten on 29 in the process. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant hit the winning runs with a boundary that also opened his account in the process.
India ended up achieving a victory in a Test where a majority of the opening Test was lost due to rain and the next two days were washed out without a single delivery bowled as the weather only worsened in Kanpur.
Impact Shorts
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Bangladesh had earlier been bundled out for a paltry 146 after resuming from their overnight score of 26/2, with the trio of Jasprit Bumrah (3/17), Ravindra Jadeja (3/34) and Ravichandran Ashwin (3/50) collecting three wickets each.
Opener Shadman Islam (50) was dismissed shortly after bringing up his half century, with senior wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim (37) the only other Bangladeshi to put up a decent challenge against the Indian attack in the second innings.
Rahim was the final Bangladeshi batter dismissed on the last day, leaving India less than 100 to collect their sixth Test win on the trot.
While Yashasvi Jaiswal was adjudged the Player of the Match, senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin received the Player of the Series award, having struck 113 and collected 6/88 in the Chennai Test and following it up with five wickets in Kanpur.
The match appearing headed for a draw after Bangladesh resumed on 107/3 in their first innings on Day 4.
Senior batter Mominul Haque, batting on 40 at the early close of play on Day 1 and unable to add to his score over the weekend, would bring up his 13th Test hundred after play finally resumed on Monday.
Mominul remained unbeaten on 107 off 194 deliveries, collecting 17 fours and a six and scoring the only century by a Bangladeshi batter in the two-Test series.
The 33-year-old, however, was waging a lone battle as wickets fell at regular intervals at the other end. Bumrah led the way with a haul of 3/50 as India bowled Bangladesh out for 233, once again restricting them below 250.
It was India’s response with the bat later on Day 4 however, that really set the tone for the remainder of the match and allowed the home team to pull off a remarkable victory despite losing a majority of the game to rain.
Powered by Jaiswal’s 31-ball half-century as well as KL Rahul’s fiery 68 off 43 balls as well as handy knocks from Virat Kohli (47 off 35), Shubman Gill (39 off 36) and skipper Rohit Sharma (23 off 11), India ended up declaring on 285/9 in less than 35 overs, scoring at over eight-an-over.
Jaiswal and Rohit set the tone with a fifty-run opening partnership in just three overs — the first three overs fetching India 12, 17 and 22 runs respectively.
The hosts came up with their own version of England’s ‘Bazball’ to deflate the Tigers, whom they had thrashed by 280 runs in the first Test in Chennai and were hopeful of securing at least a draw in Kanpur.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 233 and 146 (Shadman Islam 50, Mushfiqur Rahim 37; Jasprit Bumrah 3/17) lost to India 285/9 decl and 98/3 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 51, Virat Kohli 29*; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 2/44) by 7 wickets.