India's captain Rohit Sharma caught many off guard with his choice at the toss for the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. It was anticipated that Team India would field three spinners, given the black soil pitch was conducive to spin bowling. However, Rohit opted to bowl first after winning the toss and declared an unchanged XI, thus keeping all three seamers—Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep—in the lineup.
Interestingly, it appears that Rohit had considered including Kuldeep Yadav, who did not play in the first Test against Bangladesh, as he had a lengthy net session before the match, suggesting he might be included in the squad. Yet, the overcast weather conditions at the Greenfield Stadium likely influenced the team's last-minute strategy shift.
Notably, this marked the first instance in nine years that an Indian captain elected to bowl first after winning the toss at home. The last time this occurred was in 2015 against South Africa in Bengaluru, with Virat Kohli as the captain, which concluded in a draw.
"We're going to bowl first. The pitch seems a bit soft, so we need to make early inroads, and we want our three seamers to capitalise on that. We didn't start well with the bat in the first game, but we found a way to score, and the bowlers stepped up. I expect no less of a challenge from Bangladesh; we are prepared to respond," Rohit stated during the toss.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto expressed his satisfaction with the decision, indicating his desire to bat first. "We're happy to bat first; that's what we wanted. As a batting unit, it's crucial we capitalise on our start and score heavily today. The wicket looks promising for batting, but taking advantage of the new ball will be vital. We have made two changes; Nahid and Taskin are out, while Taijul and Khaled are in," he said.
India's Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (w), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.