NEW DELHI: With play not possible for over two days due to rain and wet outfield in Kanpur, India pulled off a miraculous win in the second Test against Bangladesh to complete a 2-0 series sweep.
With the win, India also strengthened their top position in the World Test Championship points table, making it 8 wins out of 11 games.
In Kanpur, after rain had played a spoilsport, a draw looked a very likely result but a number of bold decisions taken by Team India forced the game into a result.
From wrapping up the visitors’ in the first innings soon after resumption to an explosive first innings with a bat that helped India gain a slender lead, the team looked clear in their approach, going for a result.
The bowlers then yet again weaved their magic in the second innings coupled by impressive decision-making by Rohit.
After the win, Rohit admitted that the decision to go for a result could have backfired but the entire team was clear on how they were going to approach the game.
“The bowlers came to the party first. They got the wickets that we needed. And then when we came inside, we had to take a little bit of risk to get a result. I know the result could have gone either way. But I was okay with it. So was the coach and the other players as well. Because you have to be brave enough to take those decisions and go and play that way,” Rohit said in a video posted by BCCI on X.
“When things fall in place, everything looks good. And that is where it can change quickly when things don’t fall in place. Everybody would have started criticising the decision that we took and all of that. But what matters is what we think inside this changing room. And that is what mattered and that is what we went with in this game. It was a clear plan that we want the result, how we can get the result. Everybody started finding answers for that. I think it was an exceptional series.
Rohit admitted that taking such decisions involves risks and it is not every time that they will be right but you have to back them. The 37-year-old skipper said that he has been there long enough to trust his on-field judgements and decisions.
“I think when you are playing at such a high level, you need to have a bit of everything. You need to be calm, to think wisely. There are a lot of decisions that you have to take on the field. Not every decision will go your way, but you have to back it and use your experience, use your knowledge.
“So that is what I do. I have been there enough to trust my judgement that I do take on the field, the decisions that I take on the field. I trust on it and then I go by it. Obviously there are players around me who are open to giving suggestions, but at the end of the day, I think I trust my mind and I trust my judgement. And that’s all that matters,” Rohit added.
The Indian team were superb in the field during the second Test as well, grabbing 23 out of 24 catches. From Mohammed Siraj’s one-handed stunner to clinical work in the slip cordon, India fielders grabbed almost everything that came their way with precision.
Rohit said that the team has been putting the hard yards in the fielding department with the backroom staff helping them in everyway possible.
“It may go unnoticed, but I was just informed that out of the 24 catches that came our way, we took 23 of them, which is a great result. Especially in the slips, you don’t often see in India a ball carrying through the slips. But the guys who were standing behind were so sharp and to take those catches, it may look easy on television, but it is not.
“Trust me, because they are standing way ahead than they normally do. So all those catches that come their way, they are very hard to take. The reaction time is very less. And I have seen it, they put a lot of effort in getting those things right. And Dilip obviously is helping with the players. Some crucial catches as well, which actually turned the game around,” Rohit said.
Team India next take on Bangladesh in the three-match T20I series which will be followed by three Tests against New Zealand at home.