In Kanpur, India, Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first against Bangladesh in the second cricket test as India aims for a series sweep. Following a 280-run victory in the first test in Chennai, India maintained an unchanged lineup for the second match, deciding not to bring back left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav for his home test appearance.
The toss was delayed by an hour due to a wet outfield caused by overnight rain. The wet conditions led to a strategic shift from Rohit, marking the first time in nine years that India has chosen to bowl first in a home test match. The last instance was against South Africa in Bengaluru back in 2015.
This decision was only the second time a team has opted to bowl first in 24 tests at Green Park in Kanpur, with the previous time dating back to 1964 when India put England in to bat.
Bangladesh made two changes to their lineup, with medium pace bowler Khaled Ahmed and left-arm spinner Taijul Islam coming in for Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana.
The pitch for this test match is made of black soil and is anticipated to deteriorate at a slower pace. It is expected to offer grip and support for spinners as the game progresses.
The lineups for the match are as follows:
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed.