Kanpur: Yashasvi Jaiswal's impressive 51 off 45 balls helped India chase down a modest target of 95 in 17.2 overs, securing a 7-wicket win over Bangladesh and completing a 2-0 series sweep. This victory, crucial for India's ICC World Test Championship final qualification, followed a dominant bowling performance by Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who shared nine wickets to dismiss Bangladesh for 146, limiting their lead to 94 in a rain-affected second Test.
Speaking about the match, India captain Rohit Sharma said, “To be honest, we had to think a lot to keep the game moving forward. When we came on day four, we wanted to get them [Bangladesh] out as early as possible and see what we could do with the bat. It was not about the runs we got but the overs we wanted to bowl at them. The pitch didn't have much for bowlers, but to get a game out of that pitch was a great effort from the bowlers. The batters were willing to take risks, and we were ready to give ourselves a chance at a result. Look, Akash has been good and has played a lot of domestic cricket. He's got enough overs in his legs and can do the job the team expects him to do. He can bowl long spells, and we want to create a bunch of bowlers ready to play Test cricket at any given point. If someone is injured, you should be able to replace them.”
On his equation with new coach Gautam Gambhir and earlier with Rahul Dravid, Rohit said, “In life, we all keep moving on, and at some stage, you work with different personnel. When Rahul [Dravid] bhai said he was done, we had a fantastic time together, but then life moves on, and as a team, we had to move on. With Gautam Gambhir, I’ve played with him, and I know what sort of mindset he has. It's still early days, but very fruitful.”
Ashwin, the Player of the Series, said, “Honestly, I'm glad to deliver performances for the team. A massive win for us considering where we stand in the WTC points table. Regarding this game, when we bowled them out after lunch, Rohit gave a talk that we wanted to go for it. He stepped out and hit the first ball for six, setting the tone. How Jassi [Bumrah] bowled, how Siraj and Akash bowled, and of course, you don't need to say much about Jaddu. I’m proud to be part of this attack. We expect a team with such experience to make those adjustments. I don't use the carrom ball as much as I do in white-ball cricket; it's about building a spell and getting into rhythm.”
