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Former Pakistani batter Basit Ali expressed surprise over Team India skipper Rohit Sharma's decision to bowl first against Bangladesh in the ongoing Kanpur Test. The second and final Test of the series between the Asian teams kicked off at Green Park on Friday, September 27.
In a video shared by Basit on his YouTube channel, he stated that batting in the fourth innings would be tough on the Kanpur pitch because of the low bounce. Suggesting that rain might have influenced the home team's decision, he said (from 2:37):
"India won the toss and chose to bowl first. It was a surprise for me. The pitch looked very good. After two balls from Bumrah went one bounce to the keeper, I wondered what would happen in the fourth innings for India. However, there is rain for two days, so that's a factor."
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The Stumps on Day 1 were called early due to rain in Kanpur. Bangladesh finished at 107/3, with Mominul Haque (40*) and Mushfiqur Rahim (6*) at the crease. Akash Deep picked up two wickets, while Ravichandran Ashwin claimed a single wicket on the opening day.
"They want to win this Test by an innings" - Basit Ali on India's decision to bowl first
In the aforementioned video, Basit Ali opined that India would be targeting to beat Bangladesh by an innings in Kanpur, which is why they chose to bowl first.
He reckoned that if India had to bat for the second time in the Test, it could be tricky for them. Stating that the Rohit Sharma-led side would be firm favourites to win the Test if they manage to bowl out Bangladesh on Day 2, Basit said (from 3:14):
"Bowling first here means that India want to bat just once. They want to win this Test by an innings, otherwise, there will be a problem. There is a forecast for rain tomorrow as well. If India take seven wickets tomorrow, the Test match will be in their pocket."
India lead the two-match series 1-0. The hosts clinched a comprehensive 280-run victory in the series opener in Chennai.
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