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After a historic 2-0 series win in Pakistan, Bangladesh got a reality check against India in the opening Test of the two-match Test series, going down by a massive margin of 280 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin produced a magical all-round performance in India’s comprehensive win.
Despite putting India under immense pressure on the first day morning, they couldn't seize on the opportunities, eventually allowing the home team to take control.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja helped India recover from a dodgy situation after being reduced to 144/6. Ashwin scored his sixth Test century while Jadeja chipped in with a crucial 86 to take India to a sizeable score of 376 in first innings.
On the back of a splendid spell from Jasprit Bumrah and useful contributions from Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja, the hosts bowled out Bangladesh for just 149 in the first innings.
The Indian approach was much more positive in the second innings. They lost the first wickets early again but the pair of Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill weathered the early storm and went on to notch centuries. Set an unrealistic target of 515 runs, Bangladesh fought hard in the second inning, but it was always going to be an uphill task.
Despite the thrashing, Bangladesh still had a few positives to take from the game. Here is a look at three positives for Bangladesh from the opening Test:
# 1. Hasan Mahmud's performance
It was a magical spell of bowling from Hasan Mahmud on the opening day of the Test match. Mahmud made the ball talk on the Chennai track, making life difficult for the Indian top order and the middle order. The pitch looked spicy and had a nice carry.
Hasan kept hitting the right channels and just about managed to extract enough from the surface. He squared up Rohit Sharma with an absolute peach to get himself into the wickets column. Shubman Gill was a bit unlucky as he was strangled down the leg.
The biggest of the lot was undoubtedly Virat Kohli, who was drawn forward into the drive by Hasan and Kohli ended up nicking it to wicketkeeper Litton Das. However, on Day 2, when the conditions became a tad better for the batters, Hasan didn't look penetrative enough but managed to finish with a fifer, with Jasprit Bumrah being his final scalp.
He also became the first Bangladeshi bowler to pick a fifer in a Test match in India. Mahmud went wicketless in the second innings but his relentless effort during the first essay is one of the major positives to take from this game from Bangladesh’s perspective.
# 2. Sticking to the right channels despite not getting wickets
What was heartening to see was that the Bangladesh bowlers kept running in even on Day 3 morning when nothing was happening for either the fast bowlers or the spinners. With well-set Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant out in the middle, it was expected that the duo would show their aggressive side and score quickly.
However, the first hour on Day 3 belonged to the Bangladesh bowlers. They conceded just 13 runs in the second half-hour of the day and that seemed to have created a bit of pressure on India. Taskin Ahmed bowled beautifully and didn't allow Pant or Gill to press on the accelerator.
This may not sound significant but Test cricket is all about building on pressure and setting the batter up. While they couldn't quite pick the wickets they were after, they kept things tight.
# 3. Bangladesh's captain leading from the front in the second innings
Amidst the carnage from the Indian bowlers, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto showed composure in the second innings, scoring 82 runs. Bangladesh was staring down the barrel when Shanto came out in the middle and put the Indian attack to the sword.
Shanto’s knock was a mix of exquisite cut shots, punches off the backfoot and reverse sweeps. He knew that the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja would create problems on a pitch which had just started to break a bit.
He went on to score a fifty and eventually departed. Shanto will be confident of this knock, which will surely help him in the second match of the series.
