Bangladesh’s defeat was sealed right after the end of their second innings. The rest was merely a formality. With a target of just 95 runs, perhaps there was a wait, but winning was out of reach. Bangladesh couldn’t pull it off either.
In the second and final Test of the series, India handed Bangladesh a massive defeat. In Kanpur, they beat the Tigers by 7 wickets. With this win, the hosts completed a 2-0 whitewash in the two-match series against Shanto and Shakib’s team.
India’s intent to win this match was evident by the fourth day. They had already mapped out their victory plan that day, with Bangladesh’s second innings being the only hurdle. However, the Indian bowlers made things easy by wrapping up Bangladesh for just 146 runs.
Earlier, after two consecutive days of play being washed out by rain, the Kanpur Test resumed on the fourth day, Monday. Play restarted after being halted on the first day at 35 overs. Bangladesh resumed their innings at 107/3.
However, the innings didn’t last long, ending at 233 runs in 74.2 overs. Despite a good start in reply, India couldn’t go too far, declaring their innings at 285 runs for 9 wickets, with Shakib and Miraz’s spin causing trouble. India gained a 52-run lead.
On the fourth day, Bangladesh lost two quick wickets while trying to overcome the lead. Starting their second innings on Tuesday with 26 runs, the Tigers lost another wicket before even surpassing India’s lead. Mominul Haque, the centurion of the previous innings, was dismissed early, managing only 2 runs.
After losing 3 wickets for 36 runs, Shadman Islam and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto attempted to stabilize the innings. They formed a fifty-plus run partnership, giving some hope. But soon after, the innings crumbled. Bangladesh went from 91/3 to 94/7 in just five overs, losing four wickets in quick succession.
Jadeja initiated the collapse by dismissing Najmul Hossain Shanto, who scored 19 off 37 balls. In the next over, Akash Deep took down Shadman Islam, who had managed to score a half-century by then, but the innings ended there.
In the following over, Liton Das was dismissed for just 1 run, falling to Jadeja. An over later, Jadeja claimed Shakib Al Hasan as well, who couldn’t score in what could possibly be his final Test innings, departing for a duck (0 off 2 balls).
Mushfiqur Rahim, with help from Mehidy Miraz, managed to take Bangladesh past the hundred-run mark. Miraz was dismissed for 9, while Mushfiqur was the last wicket to fall, scoring 37 off 63 balls. Bumrah, Jadeja, and Ashwin each took three wickets.
In response, India faced a bit of a challenge from Mehidy Miraz, but victory was never far off. Miraz dismissed Rohit Sharma (8) and Shubman Gill (6) in consecutive overs, leaving India at 34/2.
From there, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli guided India to victory. Jaiswal was dismissed before the win was sealed, falling to Taijul Islam after scoring 51 off 45 balls. However, Kohli remained unbeaten on 29, ensuring the victory.
If this indeed is Shakib Al Hasan’s final Test match, he had to part ways with the white jersey with bitter memories. His last Test did not turn out to be a memorable one.
