Winning a Test match in less than two days needs a foolproof and spot-on execution. Team India did exactly the same in the rain-hit second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. Only 35 overs could be bowled before eight sessions were lost to inclement weather. When the sun shone bright on day 4, India needed 7 wickets to go to bat but a lot more was needed to push for a result.
The bowlers came into play and they bundled Bangladesh out for 233. And then happened the unexpected. The opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal went all guns blazing, tearing the Bangla attack apart to set the world record for the fastest team fifty in a Test match, off 18 balls. The entire playing XI was in T20 mode as the team set the record for the fastest 100, 150, and 200 as well.
With a 55 run-lead, Rohit Sharma declared the first innings. In reply, Bangladesh could only set a 95-run target which the hosts chased with 7 wickets in hand to register a famous win.
Speaking to bcci.tv about one of the best turnarounds, Rohit revealed how the team took the risk of playing in an unusual way only to get a result out of a rain-hit Test match in Kanpur.
“Aggression is all about my actions. The kind of batting we do, field positioning and bowling we do, that to me is aggression. This wouldn’t have been possible without the other 10 players. We had lost 2-and-a-half days. It was easy for everyone to drift away from the goal we had,” Rohit told bcci.tv.
“When we came on the fourth day, we needed 7 wickets quickly. So I thought, everything started there. The bowlers came to the party first. When we returned to the dressing room, we had to take a little bit of a risk to get a result. The result could’ve gone either way but I was okay with it. So was the coach and other player. You have to be brave enough to take those decisions and play that way,” he added.
“People could have criticized us for the way we played. But what matters is what we think inside this change room and we applied it on the field. It was a clear plan to get the result. But how do we do it, everybody tried looking for the answers,” Rohit said.
With another series win on home soil, India not only maintained their unbeaten streak but also consolidated their position on the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.
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