Impact of a washed-out Kanpur Test against Bangladesh on India's WTC final prospects

The second day of the second and final Test match between India and Bangladesh at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur was completely washed out due to continuous rain on Saturday. The match had already faced disruptions on Day 1, with only 35 overs being played after a delayed start due to a wet outfield and the final session being washed out as well.

Bangladesh, bidding for a series-levelling victory in Kanpur, looked to build on their overnight score of 107-3 in their first innings. But on-again, off-again rainfall kept the covers on, on Saturday before the umpires decided to call off play.

There is a heavy chance of rain playing a spoilsport on Sunday as well, with the players likely to expect a delayed start once again. However, unlike Saturday, Day 3 is unlikely to be washed out, but the proceedings might be interrupted, with chances of rain being 59 per cent and the probability of a thunderstorm being 14 per cent, as per accuweather.com.

Although the weather conditions will likely improve on Day 4 and 5 in Kanpur, a draw looms over the contest in view of the time lost to rain.

India currently stand top of the World Test Championship table, with seven wins in 10 matches, implying a percentage win of 71.67. A 2-0 whitewash against Bangladesh in the series could have further strengthened their chances of making the final for the third straight time, with India requiring just three more wins from their remaining five chances. And it seemed certain to happen given their next contest is at home, against New Zealand, who are on the verge of incurring a 2-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka in Galle.

However, with India and Bangladesh to share six points each from a drawn Test, the equation gets tougher for Rohit Sharma and his men. India will not only have to whitewash New Zealand in their upcoming three-Test series at home next month, but also win at least two Test matches in the five-match Border-Gavaskar series against Australia down under later this year.