Mominul Haque's Defiant Century Battles Bangladesh's Loss in Kanpur Test Against India
During the second Test against India in Kanpur, Mominul Haque (102*) displayed remarkable prowess leading Bangladesh's fight on the fourth day. Despite the teams losing three major wickets during the morning session, Haque stood firm, preventing a complete Indian domination.
The first day witnessed a loss of 55 overs due to weather conditions, and two entire subsequent days. The fourth day, however, began under a sunny sky. The premise predicted a challenging first hour as the surface had been under covers for prolonged durations, and indeed that occurred.
India's Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep initiated the proceedings, the pacers securing a substantial movement early. However, the lack of significant carry off the pitch meant the Bangladesh players had to stay vigilant. Mominul demonstrated remarkable calm, selecting his shots wisely and interpreting his off stump astutely - a quality not seen in Mushfiqur Rahim who did not offer a stroke to Bumrah's sharp nip-backer, leading to an early victory for India.
Litton Das replaced Rahim, hitting three fours against Bumrah, but soon lost control. The wicket-keeper batter attempted to smash Mohammed Siraj, only to misjudge the shot. A brilliant one-handed catch by India's Rohit Sharma at mid-off sent him back. Another instance of excellent fielding was on display when Shakib Al Hasan lofted very high and was caught by Siraj.
In the midst of unfolding chaos, Mominul held his ground and maintained an encouraging approach to keep the scoreboard active. Although Bangladesh’s batting could be critiqued for being lazy, Haque's performance showcased resilience.
The brief scores were: Bangladesh 205/6 (Mominul Haque 102*; Akash Deep 2-43, Ravichandran Ashwin 2-45) vs India.
