Rohit Sharma makes history by breaking 9-year trend; joins Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi in unique list

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma stunned many by opting to bowl first after winning the toss in the ongoing second and final Test against Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur on Friday, September 27.

However, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto had also opted to bowl first in the first Test against India after winning the toss in Chennai. Well, with his bold move, Rohit Sharma has become the only second captain after Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to invite the touring side to bat first in the 24 Test matches played at Kanpur.

Rohit Sharma becomes only second Indian captain to bowl first in Kanpur

The former Indian captain had asked England to bat first in a Test match back in 1964 at the Green Park Stadium. Additionally, Team India opted to bowl first for the first time in the last nine years in a home Test match after Rohit Sharma opted to bowl first in the ongoing second and final Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur.

Rohit Sharma is the only second captain after Pataudi jr (v England in 1964) to put the opposition to bat in the 24 Tests played at Kanpur.#IndvBan #IndvsBan

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) September 27, 2024

With Rohit Sharma opting to bowl, this is the first time that teams winning the toss have elected to field in consecutive men's Tests in India😲#INDvBAN https://t.co/0yfwSVVhMp pic.twitter.com/52Y0rSYyIS

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 27, 2024

The last time India opted to field first in a home Test match was in 2015 against South Africa in Bengaluru, which was the only instance during Virat Kohli's captaincy. By choosing to bowl, Rohit has made history, as it was the first instance of teams choosing to field after winning the toss in back-to-back men's Tests in India.

Notably, Shanto had also invited the hosts to bat first in the first Test against India after winning the toss in Chennai.

Here’s what captains Najmul Hossain Shanto and Rohit Sharma said at the toss in Kanpur:

Rohit said, “We are going to bowl first. The pitch seems a bit soft, so we have to make early inroads, and we want our three seamers to make use of it. We didn't start well with the bat in the first game, but we found a way to score, and the bowlers did the job. I expect no different here (fight from Bangladesh); we will be challenged, but we have the experience to bounce back. No changes.”

Shanto said, “Happy to bat first; we wanted to bat anyway. As a batter, if we get a start, we have to score well. I hope our batters can score big today. It looks like a good wicket to bat on. New ball batting will be key though. Two changes. Nahid Rana and Taskin Ahmed aren't playing. Taijul Islam and Khaled Amed are in.”

Speaking about the Kanpur Test, the Bangladesh cricket team is playing at 80/3 with Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim trying to counter the Indian attack at Green Park. Bangladesh captain Shanto was batting well, but Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin managed to get the batter of him.

Ravichandran Ashwin brings India back into the game in Kanpur Test

In the 29th over, Ashwin delivered a fantastic delivery with the round-the-wicket angle to Shanto, leading to an lbw out. However, Shanto went for review, as the ball had drifted in from around the wicket. He dived forward to defend the ball but misread the line, getting struck in front of the off-stump.

The initial review looked promising, but UltraEdge revealed a flat line, indicating no inside edge. But the ball-tracking confirmed that the ball crushed the middle stump.

The skipper himself wasted a review of Bangladesh, as he would have been caught by Shubman Gill at second slip even if he had got an inside edge. Shanto was dismissed LBW for 31 runs off 57 balls, hitting six fours in Kanpur.