Kanpur, Oct 1 (IANS): Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed 51 runs in the chase of 95 as India beat Bangladesh by seven wickets on the fifth day and won the series 2-0 at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur on Tuesday.
Despite two rain-affected days, the Indian team gave the local crowd plenty to cheer for as both bowlers and batters played their roles to perfection.
Chasing just 95 runs for victory, India’s top order began with an aggressive approach. Jaiswal and captain Rohit Sharma started the innings confidently. However, Rohit (8) fell early, caught at deep square leg attempting a slog-sweep. It was his fourth consecutive low score in the series.
Undeterred, Jaiswal continued to attack despite losing Shubman Gill (6) to a sharp delivery from Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Virat Kohli walked in with calm confidence and looked in supreme touch once again. His fluent strokeplay kept the momentum in India’s favour while Jaiswal continued to be the aggressor.
Jaiswal smashed 43 balls half-century, his seventh in Test cricket but departed after trying to slog sweep Taijul Islam. He attacked the spinners throughout and scored 51 in 45 balls adding 58 runs with Virat Kohli for the third wicket. Rishabh Pant had the final say in the match as he smashed a boundary off Taijul to seal the series.
Earlier, Day 4 saw a scintillating display of aggressive batting from India after Bangladesh was skittled out for 233 in their first innings. India, eager to push for a result, came out firing. Led by Rohit, Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, the Indian lineup went on a record-breaking spree, notching up the fastest 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 runs in Test history.
Jaiswal (72) and Rahul (68) scored half-centuries at a quick pace with India declaring at 285/9 in only 34.4 overs with a lead of 55 runs. Bangladesh spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz shared eight wickets among them.
The crowd roared with enthusiasm as the Indian batters entertained them with fearless strokes, and chants echoed around the stadium for Rohit and Kohli’s dynamic show.
Bangladesh, starting their second innings on Day 5 at 36/2, appeared determined to resist the Indian onslaught. Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque initially showed resilience but India’s bowlers soon took over.
Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, in tandem with pacer Jasprit Bumrah, launched a devastating attack on the Bangladeshi lineup.
Mominul’s dismissal for just 2, caught by KL Rahul off a perfectly placed delivery from Ashwin, triggered a collapse.
Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto fell victim to a reverse sweep off Jadeja, and soon the wickets began to tumble rapidly. Shadman, who had looked steady with a well-crafted half-century, edged one to slip, and Litton Das was caught behind off a sharp Bumrah delivery.
Within 35 minutes, Bangladesh’s hopes of survival crumbled and they were reduced to 130/9. The tail-end resistance from Mushfiqur Rahim (37) couldn’t save Bangladesh as Bumrah clean-bowled him with a lethal yorker to end the innings at 146.
Earlier, India had won the toss, elected to field first and had Bangladesh at 107/3 in 35 overs when rain played spoilsport on the opening day. The game only resumed on Day 4 with India dismissing the opponents for 233, Mominul Haque scoring 107 not out and Bumrah leading the attack with 3-50.
For Bangladesh, the match felt like a missed opportunity. Their inability to build on good starts, coupled with the relentless Indian bowling, exposed the gap in skill levels. While their spinners showed promise, India’s experience and dominance with both bat and ball proved too much to handle. Bangladesh’s batting, which faltered against the more potent Indian attack compared to Pakistan, couldn’t withstand the pressure.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 233 & 146 all out (Shadman Islam 50, Mushfiqur Rahim 37; Jasprit Bumrah 3-17, Ravindra Jadeja 3-34) lost to India 285/9 decl. & 98/3 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 51, Virat Kohli 29; Mehidy Hasan 2-44, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 1-36) by seven wickets.