India’s top order fell prey to red-ball rustiness, but Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bailed the hosts out and took them to a position of strength.
The first Test against Bangladesh was India’s first five-day game in six months. Even for the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, it wasn’t easy to immediately get into the groove. On the face of it, there were some soft dismissals that could have been avoided. But Bangladesh looking more match-ready, coming here on the heels of a two-Test series against Pakistan.
They had the advantage of the conditions after winning the toss and choosing to bowl first. Hasan Mahmud moved the ball both ways from a probing length under an overcast sky, and some of the Indian batsmen forgot the art of leaving the ball outside off stump.
Virat Kohli’s dismissal was a case in point. He went for an expansive drive to a delivery from Mahmud that wasn’t close enough. The ball straightened a bit after pitching. Still, it was avoidable. Maybe, with more red-ball batting time under his belt, Kohli would have left it alone. Instead, he failed to show restraint and nicked the ball to the ‘keeper.
Rohit, too, would probably have shouldered arms to Mahmud’s delivery that seamed away from a good length if he were in full Test mode. But the India captain played the angle and got a healthy outside edge to Najmul Hossain Shanto at second slip.
Shubman Gill would be disappointed, as he edged a full delivery down the leg side from Mahmud to Litton Das behind the stumps. It was a bonus wicket. Rishabh Pant, on his return to the Test fold after a gap of 629 days, was going along briskly. However, his half-hearted cut against a short and wide ball from Mahmud was neither here nor there. The ‘keeper had an easy catch, and it was a real soft dismissal.
Test cricket is the hardest form of the game, and it takes time to be fully ready after an extended lay-off. All the players will improve as the season progresses. The good thing is that this Indian team is never short of confidence. They might be down, but they are never out.
From that perspective, the fightback from Ashwin and Jadeja was somewhat expected. The two put on 195 runs in an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership, which changed the course of the game. At 144/6, after Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul – whose 52-ball 16 put pressure on everyone – departed inside four balls, the tourists were in complete ascendency. The two Indian all-rounders pulled things back spectacularly.
Ashwin counter-attacked, while Jadeja played second fiddle to start with. They were never perturbed by the plays and misses or the occasional thick edges. The loose balls weren’t spared, and gradually, they wrested the initiative.
Ashwin’s half-century came off 58 balls, and Jadeja reached his in 73 deliveries. Some exquisite shots were played. Ashwin swung a Mehidy Hasan Miraz delivery over the deep mid-wicket boundary to bring up India’s 300.
For the last few years, Jadeja has been the crisis man in Indian batting. He revels under pressure. Ashwin’s love affair with Chepauk continued. Three years ago, he had scored a crucial century against England at this venue, which helped the hosts level the series. Today, when the game was slipping away from India, he once again stood up to be counted. This hundred was even better.
And Ashwin and Jadeja did it against a quality bowling attack. Gone are the days when Bangladesh’s bowling used to be a laughing stock. Now they have Mahmud’s swing and seam, Nahid Rana’s speed and Taskin Ahmed’s all-round ability in their pace-bowling ranks. They also have two proven performers in Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan anchoring their spin department.
But India are a champion side, a team that has the luxury of playing two world-class performers down the order. The Ashwin-Jadeja partnership attested the difference between a great side and a decent outfit. In one session, the duo turned the game on its head.