Ganesh Kendale
KANPUR: India captain Rohit Sharma opened up about their new life under head coach Gautam Gambhir and decoded the tactics of unexpectedly going all guns blazing on Day 4 against a sturdy Bangladesh bowling line-up in the second Test in Kanpur.
Rahul Dravid ended his stint as India’s head coach on a high note by ending the nation’s 13-year wait for an ICC World Cup trophy by lifting the T20 title earlier this year.
When Dravid’s tenure came to its fairytale ending, Gautam Gambhir was chosen as his successor. Since then, India have had a mixed bag of results across all formats, yet Rohit feels it has been a good start to the new era.
“We all keep going. Obviously, at some stage, we had to start working with different personnel. When Rahul Bhai said he was done working here. We had a fantastic time, but life moves on. Gautam Gambhir, I’ve played with him and know what sort of mindset he comes in with. Early days, but it’s been a good start,” Rohit said in the post-match presentation.
In a rain-curtailed Test match, more than two days of play were lost to rain and a wet outfield. When all signs pointed towards a draw between the two sides, the Rohit-led team upped the ante, orchestrated a boundary fest, and left Bangladesh bamboozled.
On Day 4, a total of 437 runs were scored, and 18 wickets lost in 85 overs summed up the action-packed affair and set the final day perfectly.
Notably, after adopting a fiery approach, India declared on 285/9, forcing Bangladesh to come out and face a handful number of overs.
Despite summing up their first inning in just 34.4 overs, for Rohit, it wasn’t about how many overs they played but how many they could make Bangladesh face.
“Once we lost two and a half days, when we came on day 4 we wanted to get them out as quickly as possible and see what we could do with the bat. When they got bowled out for 230, it wasn’t about the runs we got but the overs we got at them. The pitch didn’t have much. To make a game out of it on that pitch was a superb effort,” Rohit said.
“It was a risk we were willing to take because when you’re trying to bat like that, you can be bundled out for a low score. But we were ready for it even if we got bowled out for 100-150,” he added.
While there were plenty of positives to take from the 2-0 series win, Akash Deep emerged as one of the biggest ones for the hosts.
In the two-match Test series, he swung the ball gracefully to cause Bangladesh a handful of trouble. He ended the series with five wickets, giving India a viable option for the highly anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia next month.
“He’s been good (talking about Akash Deep). A lot of domestic cricket he has played. When you come up through the ranks like that, there are a lot of overs in the legs. He has the quality and the skill. Good body as well. He can bowl long spells. You have to make sure you prepare your bench strength,” Rohit noted.
In a fairly entertaining Test match, which had its fair share of ups and downs, India emerged victorious by 7 wickets.
