IND vs BAN 2nd Test: India's predicted XI, pitch report, and why is Kanpur encounter a 'Green' match

IND vs BAN 2nd Test: India's predicted XI, pitch report, and why is this a 'Green' match (BCCI Photo)

India vs Bangladesh 2nd Test: Team India will look to carry forward the momentum as they head into the second and final red-ball encounter against Bangladesh in Kanpur on Friday. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed to pile runs, getting out cheaply in both the innings of first Test. The senior pros will look to get some runs under their belt in the second outing and build on to it in the next series, which is against New Zealand at home.

Apart from them, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a calculated half-century in the opening encounter and will look to add more runs to establish him as the team's first choice opener. Shubman Gill, on the other hand, was rock solid in the second innings against Bangladesh as he went to slam an unbeaten ton. He will look to replicate a similar show at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant, too had a splendid outing with the bat, making his Test return a memorable one. He too will hope for a repeat, especially after storming into the Top 10 batting rankings in the long format.

However, we could see one minor change in India's bowling line-up with either one of the pacer Jasprit Bumrah or Akash Deep making their way for Kuldeep Yadav. The nature of the Kanpur track is predicted to assist the spinners and India would look forward to utilise the Chinaman as the team's third spin option. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were potent with both bat and ball and adding Kuldeep into the mix will make India's spin attack more lethal.

Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma

Middle-order: Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul

Wicket-keeper: Rishabh Pant

All-rounder: R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja

Spinner: Kuldeep Yadav

Pacers: Jasprit Bumrah/Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj

Shiv Kumar, the curator of the Kanpur pitch, told PTI it will be an ideal five-day pitch that will assist pacers in the first two sessions and aid spinners on the last three days. "There will be that Chennai match feeling. It will have something for everyone. It will offer bounce in the first two sessions and it will be pretty good for batting for the first two days. Then, the spinners will come into play on the last three days," said Shiv Kumar.

The black soil for the Green Park pitch, as always, has been sourced from Kali Mitti village near Unnao, which is 23km from Kanpur. The pitches made from black soil traditionally assist spinners, while red soil helps the pacers. The pitch is expected to play low and slow.

"We get this soil tested from the Indian Institute of Technology. It's a special soil that is found near a pond in village Kali Mitti. It (bringing black soil from the village) is a practice we have been following for years," said an Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) official.

Meanwhile, UPCA has decided to considerably reduce the use of plastic during the second Test in order to keep the environment clean. The UPCA has banned plastic plates for serving snacks inside the stadium and would only allow paper plates. "This is a match at Green Park and we are striving to make it a 'green' match. We have decided to use as little plastic as possible," said stadium director Sanjay Kapur.

-with PTI inputs