Embarrassment despite riches: The shortcomings of the Kanpur cricket stadium should alarm the BCCI

This article originally appeared in The Field’s newsletter, Game Points, on September 25, 2024. Sign up here to get the newsletter directly delivered to your inbox every week.

India pulled off one of the best wins in men’s Test cricket history on Tuesday after beating Bangladesh by seven wickets in Kanpur.

India restricted Bangladesh to 233 in the first innings. They then scored 285 runs in just 34.4 overs to open up a 52-run lead before dismissing the visitors for 146 in the second innings. India needed just 17.2 overs to get past the target of 95 runs.

India scored 383 runs across both innings at a stunning run rate of 7.36 runs per over, a scoring rate generally seen in white ball cricket. What made the victory special was that it was achieved despite rain and a wet outfield making play possible for only two and a half of the five days.

For Test cricket, these numbers were staggering. But this was an aggressive performance that was required to get a win given the shortened length of the match.

India were clinical in the execution of their strategy which gave them no room for error. Crucially, what would have been a draw and shared points in the World...

Read more