Kanpur Test: Team India rock and roll to sweep series against Bangladesh

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There may have been a hiccup, or two if you looked just at the scoreboard. But in the end, the way Team India crushed Bangladesh by seven wickets to sweep the two-Test series at Green Park, Kanpur, on Tuesday (October 1) showed domination, determination and decimation.

In a match robbed by elements and poor cricket facilities in terms of drainage, what India did on the last day was brilliant. Chasing a low winning score and turning to a mode where the batters were getting brutal, losing wickets was but natural. In the end, Rohit Sharma and his men won handsomely to show this visiting side was prosaic.

If the Chennai win was about just a few men performing, Kanpur was more about everyone chipping in and Rohit Sharma's captaincy being razor-sharp. Each day he is maturing like old wine and the best part is he himself does not want to be the performer but the leader.

In the good old days of Test captaincy, someone like Mike Brearley led England purely on captaincy skills and a winning mindset. No such luxury is allowed these days, so Rohit takes his chances to score runs and does lose his wicket. Yet, that selfless approach marks him out as a leader who wants to drive in the stiletto with blood trickling and not gushing, from the opponents.

Sample the way he handled the key bowlers in the Bangladesh second innings. Ravindra Jadeja, whose mastery of the left-arm stuff is becoming part of cricket folklore, was devastating.

Taking three wickets for 34 runs, Sir Ravindra Jadeja showed why he is so important. He had crossed the 300-wicket tally on Monday and on Tuesday he showed how cunning he can be against the left-handed batters. Ashwin did take three more wickets in what has become a memorable series for him.

But how does one not rave about Jasprit Bumrah, whose master class was worth watching? The way he took the last wicket was a visual delight as Mushfiqur Rahim was beaten by a slower delivery. It was hard to read and the sight of splayed wickets brought a smile on Bumrah's face. And, that, too, when Rahim was well set on 37, with seven fours, before lunch was taken late.

How does one not cheer for the chase which was mastered by two men in the middle from different generations after two wickets had fallen early? Yashasvi Jaiswal has become a batter who resembles 'Conan The Barbarian.'

To open and be so aggressive, this boy slammed a half-ton which set the tone for India's win. Stroke-filled, and with that care-a-damn approach, Jaiswal has made people fall in love with him. And yes, he was born in Suriya, Uttar Pradesh, so 'Kanpurwallahs' had reason to celebrate his knock.

At 22, his temperament and approach mark him out as a boy who has to be treated specially. Mind you, in the first innings as well, he had hammered 72 runs. For the 'VK baiters' as well, who love troll posts on social media, King Kohli was ready to support the hero. The former India captain played second fiddle and scored 29 runs, off 37 balls.

Back to the start of the Test in Kanpur and how local man Kuldeep Yadav had not been picked, and three fast bowlers instead, there was disappointment for the local fans. In the end, they got to see a sensational Test which is going to become part of folklore.

The venue seemed marooned for two days! Fans will now focus on what's the probability of India making the ICC Test Championship final next June at The Lords. Hang on, it's all on course, what with New Zealand, coming next, also in such poor form.