Kanpur: The third day of the second Test between India and Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium was abandoned on Sunday without a single ball being bowled due to a wet outfield. Despite no rain on the day, wet patches, particularly near the bowler’s run-up area, rendered the outfield unsuitable for play. The field could not be adequately dried, despite the ground staff removing the covers.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm the update: “UPDATE: Play for Day 3 in Kanpur has been called off due to wet outfield.”
This is the second consecutive day of the match affected by weather conditions, as Day 2 was also abandoned due to rain. With two full days lost, the chances of a result in the Test are slim. If India fails to secure a win, it could complicate their quest for a place in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. India would then face the challenge of winning upcoming series against New Zealand at home and Australia away by significant margins to strengthen their WTC campaign.
Currently, India sits atop the WTC standings, with seven wins, two losses, and a draw in 10 matches. A win in this Test would make their journey towards a third consecutive WTC final more manageable.
The Test has been plagued by weather from the start. On Day 1, Bangladesh managed to bat for just 35 overs, scoring 107/3. Mominul Haque (40*) and Mushfiqur Rahim (6*) remain unbeaten at the crease. Pacer Akash Deep (2/34) made early inroads for India, dismissing Zakir Hasan (0) and Shadman Islam (24) in quick succession. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was also dismissed after a 51-run stand with Haque, falling to Ravichandran Ashwin for 31.
India had won the toss and opted to bowl first. The visitors are leading the two-match Test series 1-0 after a dominant 280-run victory in the first Test, where standout performances from Ravichandran Ashwin, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah guided India to a comprehensive win.
With two days remaining in the second Test, India will hope for better weather conditions to close out the series with a win.
Playing XIs:
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Khaled Ahmed
