5 Takeaways from India's narrow win over Bangladesh in the Second Test
India defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets in a closely-contested match to whitewash the hosts 2-0 at home.
While Bangladesh did put India in a spot of bother in the fourth innings of the second Test, India were a notch above them throughout the series, capitalizing on the bigger moments and holding their nerve to emerge on the right side of the result. After this series, India are placed second in the ICC Test rankings.
Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat first at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Bangladesh were bundled out for 227 runs, with Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin scalping 4 wickets each. The comeback man Jaydev Unadkat also chipped in with 2 wickets. In reply, India gained a sizeable 87-run first innings lead, courtesy of half-centuries from Rishabh Pant (93 off 104 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (87 off 105 balls) to post 314 runs,.
In their next batting stint, Bangladesh were again bowled out cheaply for 231 runs, handing India a target of 145 runs in the fourth innings. All Indian bowlers picked up at least one wicket while Axar Patel was the top performer with the ball picking up 3 scalps. The fourth innings, which seemed like a mere formality, became a nail-biting encounter as India were reduced to 74/7. Mehidy Hasan was the star with the ball for Bangladesh, picking up five wickets, but in the end his efforts went in vain. It was the pair of Ravichandran Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer with a 71-run 8th wicket partnership that pushed India through.
On that note, here are 5 takeaways from India's win over Bangladesh in the Second Test.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin wins Player of the Match (POTM) Award
Ravichandran Ashwin, the world No. 2 Test all-rounder, as per the ICC Test Rankings, proved the immense value he has added to the Indian Team yet again. In the first innings, Ashwin picked up 4 wickets giving away just 71 runs in his 21.5 overs. Out of his 4 wickets, 3 of his scalps were of established batters such as Najmul Shanto, Mominul Haque and Litton Das. In the second innings, Ashwin again chipped in with 2 wickets. However, it was his heroics in the fourth innings with the bat that ensured that India avoided an embarrassing defeat against Bangladesh. Ravichandran Ashwin scored an unbeaten 42* off 62 balls to ensure that the Indian team crossed the line. At 36, Ravichandran Ashwin showcased why he is still one of the best in the business.
#2 Coming-of-age game for Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer has been the highest run-getter for India across all forms of cricket this year. The youngster ensured that he bid adieu to 2022 in fine fashion with excellent knocks in both innings of the second Test. The batter followed up his great showing in the first Test (87 off 105 balls) with a magnificent half-century in the first innings, rescuing India from a spot of bother at 94/4. The Mumbai lad slammed 10 boundaries and 2 maximums in his fine knock. However, it was Iyer's (29* off 46 balls) composed knock in the second innings that might turn out to be a career-defining moment in his nascent Test career. Under immense pressure, the aggressive batter controlled his natural instincts to see India home.
#3 Indian pacers breathe fire
On the spin-friendly wicket of Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, the Indian pacers picked up 10 out of the 20 Bangladesh wickets in the Test match. In the combined two innings, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat and Mohammed Siraj picked up 5, 3 and 2 wickets, respectively. The Indian pace battery proved yet again why they are one of the most lethal attacks in Test Cricket at the moment.
#4 Jaydev Unadkat returns to the Indian Test side after 12 years
12 years after his Test debut for India in 2010, 31-year old left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat returned to the Indian Test team against Bangladesh. The Saurashtra captain impressed on his return as he returned with figures of 50-2 and 17-1 in the first and second innings respectively. An inspirational story of struggle and toil, Unadkat will believe that he still has a long way to go.
#5 K.L. Rahul and Virat Kohli's struggles with the bat in Test cricket continue
Stand-in captain K.L. Rahul and Virat Kohli's woes with the bat continued as they failed in both innings. While both players emerged with decent returns in the ODI series, they had a disastrous Test series. After failing to impress in the first Test, skipper Rahul emerged with scores of 10 and 2 in this match. Star batsman Virat Kohli, who has largely returned to his old self in white-ball cricket, fared only a little better than his captain as he scored 24 and 1 in the two innings. The Indian team will be hoping that these star batters return to form as they next face the formidable Australian side in the Border-Gavaskar Series, in a series that will largely decide if India qualify for the World Test Championship Final in the 2021-23 cycle.
With that, we conclude our 5 Takeaways from India's thrilling win over Bangladesh in the Second Test. Do you think that we have missed out on any important factors? Let us know in the comments section below.