Kanpur victory re-emphasises value India place on every Test match

When day four of the Kanpur Test started, only 35 overs had been bowled and two and a half days had been washed out due to rain. For the match to end in anything other than a draw, India needed to force things when their chance with the bat arrived. And force things they did.

In an unprecedented display of attacking Test batting, India reached the quickest team 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 in Test history. They scored 285 runs in less than 35 overs and declared, making it their quickest first-innings declaration ever. Bangladesh were put back into bat on the fourth evening and when they lost two wickets, the writing was on the wall. Within a day's play, the Test had gone from virtually unwinnable to almost certainly in the bag for India.

Without the presence of the World Test Championship system, this might not have been possible. And even despite the WTC points system in place, where every Test win gives a team 12 points, not many teams would have gone all-out like India dared to do, in order to ensure that they get a result out of it. This is testament to the value India place on every Test match and Test cricket in general, and it augurs well for the future of the format.

Also read: Marks out of 10: Player ratings for India after their 2-0 Test series victory against Bangladesh

Akash Deep might just be pushing Siraj for the third seamer's spot

India played three seamers in both Tests, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep. While Bumrah was at his usual best, averaging 12.81 for 11 wickets, Siraj and Akash had contrasting fortunes. Siraj, the more experienced of the two, picked only four wickets at 34.50, while Akash took five wickets at 20.40, often looking more incisive than his senior partner.

If Akash continues his good run in the New Zealand series, there's a decent chance that he might pip Siraj for the third seamer's role come the Australia Test series at the end of the year, by when Mohammed Shami is expected to be fit and back.

Gill is starting to settle in his new role

Shubman Gill's Test spot was under scrutiny before the start of the England series earlier this year, when he had recently made a move down to No.3 and averaged only 30.58 after 20 Tests. However, in the next seven Tests – five against England, two against Bangladesh – Gill has scored 616 runs at an average of 56, taking his overall career average up to 36.80.

More than the runs, the manner and situation in which they have come would please Gill and the Indian management, as he is starting to seem more and more at home in his new role, adapting to the demands of the situation and grinding it out like he did in Ranchi against England or playing quick like he did in the first innings in Kanpur.

Pant might be India's most important Test batter

Rishabh Pant returned to Test cricket after close to two years having been out because of a near-fatal car accident he suffered in late 2022. However, he showed no signs of rustiness, scoring a magnificent century on his comeback in Chennai and aggregating 161 runs at 53.67 in the series. Pant has already played several match-winning knocks for India in the format, and he proved that he is ready to continue doing that.

At No.5, he is surrounded by seniors like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli above him and KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja below, but Pant held his own and given the qualities he brings to the middle order with his left-handedness and aggressive approach, often needing to bail his team out of an early collapse like he did in Chennai, he might just be India's most important batter in the format going forward.

Also read: Quickest Test victories in terms of balls faced: Where does India's Kanpur win stand?

It's hard to imagine India at home without Ashwin-Jadeja

It was another regulation series for Ashwin and Jadeja. Ashwin earned his 11th Player of the Series award for his century from No.8 in Chennai and 11 wickets at 19.27 in the series, while his left-arm partner reached the double of 3,000 runs and 300 wickets in Test cricket, averaging 47 with the bat and 15.44 with the ball in the series.

Neither Axar Patel nor Kuldeep Yadav got a game. Ashwin is 38, Jadeja 35. Over the years, they have been a cheat code for India in home Tests, being the primary reason behind their envious home record. However, they might not be there for very long. And the transition from them to the next group has the potential to be an extremely tough phase for India, especially given how dependent they are on the two even after they have reached the wrong side of thirties.

Despite the positives, Bangladesh still have a long way to go

Bangladesh came into the series on the back of a historic 2-0 result in Pakistan. They started really well in Chennai, pushing India to 144-6 on the first day with pacer Hasan Mahmud leading the show with a five-for. But all went downhill from there. Not once did Bangladesh bat 75 overs in the series and lost a virtually unloseable game in Kanpur, not adapting quickly enough to India's assault with the bat. Their openers putting up a fight and the seamers showing their quality were some positives, but this series showed that despite their victory over Pakistan and definite improvements in their game, they still have a long way to go if they are to compete against the world's best away from home.

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