Shamik Chakrabarty in Chennai
The Indian fast bowlers went hunting in a pack. Bangladesh batting was an easy prey.
Jasprit Bumrah was the jewel in the crown. But the support around him, from Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, was very admirable. It was aggressive. It was relentless. It offered a throwback to the golden age of fast bowling, when the famous West Indies pace quartet of Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts and Joel Garner were taking the mickey out of the opposition batters. Later, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee formed a devastating pace trio for Australia. The current Indian pace attack is almost on a par with them, especially when Mohammed Shami is playing. In his absence, Deep has risen to the challenge commendably.
‘It’s only Bangladesh’ could be a common refrain. But you only play what’s in front of you. Mind, Najmul Hossain Shanto’s team has come here after a 2-0 series win in Pakistan. India was always going to be a bridge too far. A Rawalpindi-type recovery, from 26/6, was never going to happen against this Indian bowling attack.
Would India have opted for a hard red-soil pitch for the first Test if Bumrah weren’t playing? It’s a hypothetical question. After the first day’s play, Ravichandran Ashwin had described the surface as an “old-school Chepauk pitch”. Hasan Mahmud rattled the Indian top order on this deck. No wonder that the Bangladesh batting unit looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights against Bumrah & Co.
Bumrah made the ball rear off a length from the outset. And Shadman Islam acted like a jumping jack. A thick edge went through the vacant second gully region to give him a couple, but the batter was shaken. Four balls later, he was bowled neck and crop, trying to leave the delivery on length. Bumrah bowled three overs in his first spell before handing over the responsibility to Deep.
Two days before the start of the Test match, the Bengal seamer had an intense nets session at Chepauk. The best thing about him is the way he puts in effort in his bowling. Deep is a strong lad and he can bowl long spells without losing his pace.
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On the second day of the Test, however, he wasn’t required for long spells. He brought one into Zakir Hasan to castle the batter. The latter played down the wrong line, but Deep didn’t mind. He dismissed Mominul Haque next ball, beating him for pace. Against such relentless pace attack, technique and temperament are a batter’s best friends. Some of the Bangladesh batters, Zakir for example, were done in by poor technique.
Bumrah came back after lunch to account for Mushfiqur Rahim, with arguably the ball of the day. It bounced and then swung. A master was at work and it was a little too much for Mushfiqur to handle.
Around 13,000 fans turned up at Chepauk today. Some of them were egging on Bumrah to bowl a yorker. The great bowler saved it for Taskin Ahmed. A nasty short delivery softened up the tail-ender. A searing yorker followed to clatter the stumps. Watching Bumrah bowl is a privilege.
Spare a thought for Siraj, who took a couple of wickets, working up good pace. This is a pace unit that will trouble Australia in their lair also. And the best thing is the way Deep is taking to Test cricket like a duck to water. He is in the process of cementing his place as the team’s fourth seamer.
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