India's young stars secure Test series win over Bangladesh and fire warning shot to Australia

Rohit Sharma's team complete seven-wicket victory in rain-hit Kanpur Test

Bangladesh players congratulate Virat Kohli, second left, after India won the Kanpur Test on the fifth and final day on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. AP

India completed a 2-0 Test series win over Bangladesh in Kanpur. AP

India's Yashasvi Jaiswal celebrates after reaching his fifty at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. AFP

India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored three fifties in four innings during the two-Test series. AFP

India's Ravindra Jadeja, center, captain Rohit Sharma, right and Yashasvi Jaiswal celebrate the wicket of Bangladesh's Litton Das. AP

Jasprit Bumrah after taking the wicket of Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim. AFP

India winning a Test series at home is hardly news. They have been unbeaten at home for 12 years, and very few expected Bangladesh to end that run.

Still, the Tigers looked like testing India to their limits when they had the home team 144-6 in the first innings of the Chennai Test. But once Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja counter-attacked with a near double-century stand, the outcome of the two-match series was decided.

On Tuesday, India completed a Test series sweep in double quick time by winning the Kanpur Test by seven wickets despite losing almost three days to rain. Rohit Sharma's team effectively won the match in a little over a day and a half, thanks mainly to a monumental effort with the bat in the first innings when they smashed 285-9 declared in just 34.4 overs.

They broke the record for the fastest team to every 50-run mark up until 250, signalling their intent to put the pursuit of victory ahead of everything else.

Once India gained a lead of 52, with a little over a day's play left, there was only going to be one winner. India's bowling attack then cranked it up to 11, leaving Bangladesh's batsman no breathing space as they were bundled out for 146 early on Tuesday. The victory target of 95 was achieved with ease, clearing the path to the World Test Championship final next year.

Apart from the Test series win and the impact on the WTC final qualification, what also stood out was the performance of the next batch of Indian stars.

It is no secret that the golden generation of Indian players is inching closer to the end of their careers and they need younger players to take more of the burden. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not scoring as heavily with the bat as they did a few years ago, so the onus was on the younger lot to show that they can deliver when the big names fail.

On the bowling front, the spin department looked settled as Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel were ready to take over from Ashwin and Jadeja at a moment's notice. However, the pace department still had some question marks. The main one being who comes after Jasprit Bumrah?

Mohammad Siraj has been consistent without being spectacular, while Mohammad Shami – who can match Bumrah for pace and impact on any wicket – is still working his way back to fitness. India needed a young bowler to step up, and that too right now.

They needed solutions ahead of the big assignment later in the year – the five-Test series in Australia that is most likely to decide WTC finalists.

India found answers to all questions in the Bangladesh series. Yashasvi Jaiswal (189 runs in four innings) and the returning Rishabh Pant (161) hit crucial runs in the first Test when the chips were down, while Shubman Gill (164 runs in two Tests) also hit a ton. All three batsmen needed to strike from and luckily for the team, they did simultaneously.

The other young player who came on by leaps and bounds during the Bangladesh series was quick bowler Akash Deep. The 27-year-old was easily the most difficult pacer to negotiate in the two Tests, challenging both edges of the bat at all stages of play – even more so than Bumrah.

Jaiswal at the top of the order, Gill right behind him, Pant in the middle and Deep with the new ball will be crucial cogs in India's touring party Down Under. All have shown good technical prowess and requisite attacking intent to keep Australia on the edge; the Aussies suffered series defeats during the last two visits by the Indians and will be desperate to avoid a hat-trick.

Captain Sharma is not scoring heavily, and neither is Kohli. Teams have started to see out entire spells of Bumrah, not even bothering to attack him so as to avoid giving him any wickets. The runs and wickets have to come from somewhere else.

Thankfully for the Indian team, there are others who have shown the ability and appetite to get the job done.