India vs Bangladesh 2nd Test: Kohli’s Net Struggles Against Bumrah & Axar, Shakib’s Dilemma

At Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium, Jasprit Bumrah bowled about 15 deliveries to Virat Kohli in the nets. He dismissed Kohli four times. Initially, Kohli looked comfortable against the first three balls. However, Bumrah turned up the pressure and hit Kohli on the pads, shouting, “Saamne laga hai (You are plumb).” Kohli nodded in acknowledgment.

On the next ball, Kohli played his trademark cover drive, sending groundsmen, local police, and journalists into a frenzy. Bumrah adjusted his line to the fourth stump, but with a shortened length, Kohli edged the ball.

Bumrah then shifted his attack to the middle and leg stumps, outsmarting Kohli twice in a row. Both times, the ball lobbed after hitting Kohli’s pads. Bumrah smiled and teased, “Aakhiri wala toh short leg ka catch tha (The short leg could have caught the last one).” Kohli chuckled before moving to the parallel net, where spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel were bowling.

Recently, Kohli’s struggles against spinners have become apparent. In Chennai, off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz dismissed him for 17, marking the 18th time Kohli has fallen to spinners since 2021. In Kanpur, he struggled again, particularly against the left-arm spinners. Kohli attempted to play inside-out against Jadeja but missed three times and looked frustrated. The highlight came when Axar clean-bowled him.

That was the last ball Kohli faced before Shubman Gill took his place.

Meanwhile, Shakib Al Hasan practiced in the morning, facing local spinners for five to seven minutes twice. Both times, he walked off angrily towards the dressing room. Shakib bowled only 21 overs in Chennai, without taking a wicket, and scored 32 and 25 in Bangladesh’s 280-run loss. He was introduced in the 53rd over of India’s first innings.

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe downplayed concerns about Shakib’s fitness after his finger injury in Chennai. “I haven’t heard from my physio. He is still eligible for selection,” Hathurusinghe said. When asked about Shakib’s performance, he clarified, “I’m not upset with him, but with our overall performance.” He acknowledged Shakib’s capability and noted, “It’s not a lack of pride. It’s the sheer quality of the opposition.”