Shakib Al Hasan was crouching at the bowling crease between deliveries towards the conclusion of the second day of play in the Chennai Test, perhaps to reduce the tension in his aching legs. After bowling in the morning session and easily dismissing the India tail, Bangladesh was also dismissed in 47 overs, forcing them to play again, this time in the intense Chennai heat. In between, the match in Chepauk slipped away from Bangladesh in two days, with India leading by an overwhelming 308 runs and the hosts needing seven more wickets in the second innings.
The start of the test on Thursday was very promising. Bangladesh had bowled in favourable seaming conditions to dismiss the India top-order before a rearguard action from Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja allowed the hosts to get on top on Day 1.
But Bangladesh received the best batting conditions Chepauk could provide in this ongoing Test after bowling India out in the opening session yesterday. However, Bangladesh was dismissed for 149 runs due to a top-order mishap before India forced them back into the field without requiring a follow-on.
Bangladesh has consistently been found out when there is movement available when facing the new ball. They may have beaten Pakistan with the new ball in Rawalpindi before Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Liton Das’s counterattack, but against a strong Indian attack, no such resistance materialised, especially after Shakib Al Hasan and Liton lost to bad shot selection after a 51-run partnership had lifted the team out of its early slump against the new ball.
“As a team we all are disappointed in our batting and we could have done much better than that. Yes, there was help [in the wicket for bowlers] but we could have done better,” Taskin Ahmed said at the post-day press conference.
Taskin had been using the ball with good rhythm earlier in the morning session, which helped the visitors limit India to 376. Before dismissing century-maker Ashwin in a three-wicket show, he denied Jadeja a century. Hasan Mahmud then claimed his fifth wicket to become the first bowler from Bangladesh to reach a fifer in Test cricket in India.
In India’s second innings, Taskin made a terrific bounce to remove captain Rohit Sharma and gain early ground. The hosts finished the day at 81 for three as Miraz secured the valuable scalp of Virat Kohli and Nahid Rana dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The Bangladesh bowlers made their case despite being on the field for majority of two days, however, the batters left the game slip, with little room for turning things around as India are well and truly on the driving seat.
