We review India’s magnificent win over Bangladesh in the second Test in Kanpur.
Apple Podcasts
SpotifyTalking Points:
- India doing both the expected and unexpected at the same time
- India’s great bowling attack and the art of picking 20 wickets
- Jasprit Bumrah – in a rarefied space of fast bowling
- Jadeja’s speeds v Bangladesh’s spinner’s speeds
- India’s batting assault
- Kanpur 2021 v Kanpur 2024
- Kohli, Shastri and the decision to play five fast bowlers
- Jaiswal’s remarkable start to his Test career
Participants:
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)
Ashoka
Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview) | Substack| ESPNcricinfo
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Related:
- The simple genius of Ravindra Jadeja – Kartikeya Date – Cricketingview substack
- Rohit Sharma and the sixes that woke up a dead game – Alagappan Muthu – ESPNcricinfo
- A freakish ten-for and good old Indian dominance – 81allout review of the India v New Zealand series in 2021
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Lead image from here.
Great Podcast as usual. Congratulations on 200 episodes, great stuff, I like the fact that you took the time to acknowledge this, it is commendable.
This truly was a great win, I felt India was planning this from the moment they saw the weather forecast and won the toss, there was no other reason to field first. Taking 20 wickets here is just amazing, the fifth-day pitch was hardly a third-day pitch. I agree this bowling lineup makes India the team that it is, and for the last 10 years, they have stuck to this, irrespective of WTC or not. Remember Dhoni trying Binny in England in 2014 and constantly cribbing about needing an allrounder, he was right, the only difference is Virat, Rohit, and Rahane have had the belief to go for 5 bowlers without an allrounder, hence we often play with 4 number 11s overseas. Remember the 2016 India-England series where the pitches were flat and England did not struggle in the first inning of any test, Ashwin had a great series and yet he averaged 30 in that, that was the life of bowlers like Kumble all the time.
Lastly, while I agree batting does not matter in test wins as much, any other set of 5 batters could have done this but not the set of bowlers, but the approach and the mindset even after knowing the bowlers, is commendable. Often Indian batters are blamed for chasing records, Australians like Maxwell etc have said in their cricket.com interviews that Indian batters chase records and are selfish. Obviously it is a narrative but it is good to see them going like this. Lawrence Booth will say anything to sell his book, I remember he said that the most bazballian century of bazball era was Joe Root’s hundred in Ranchi.
Thanks for your comments, Tarun. As we said on the podcast, we are grateful to our regular listeners who not only listen but also engage with us. As for the Indian batters – yes, they are very good indeed and can bat in different gears as the situation demands. It helps that they have the luxury of such fine bowling – to declare at 285 rather than having to make 350 or 400 to have a bigger cushion. For instance, Pakistan scored 550+ and England scored 800+ in the recent Test in Multan. India will likely have not conceded more than 400. And then they would have likely declared after making 550 and bowled the side out. The match would have finished far quicker. Their superior bowling makes most of the magic happen.