Ashwin-Jadeja counterattack puts India in a zone of comfort

The local star notches up his sixth Test hundred while putting on an unfinished stand of 195 with fellow spin all-rounder

to reclaim the advantage after Bangladesh pacer Mahmud’s early damage and a mid-innings stutter

As Thursday ebbed, two of Chennai’s favourite sons, one with a strong umbilical cord and the other adopted through sheer affection, joined forces and bolstered India against Bangladesh in the first Test that commenced here at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

Local boy R. Ashwin, with a splendid century (102 batting, 112b, 10x4, 2x6), and Chennai Super Kings’ star Ravindra Jadeja (86 batting), used their bats to good effect and built upon the earlier work of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant. Ashwin and Jadeja’s unfinished 195-run seventh-wicket partnership offered a nice platform to the host.

At close, India posted 339 for six in the first innings, a far better position than the first session horrors inflicted by seamer Hasan Mahmud. Later in the afternoon when another bout of retreating batters shimmered into view, Ashwin and Jadeja linked together at 144 for six.

Terrific shots

The duo buckled down and soon with some terrific shots enthused the crowd. Ashwin drove and punched, and when Shakib Al Hasan came on, a six was essayed. The centurion’s confidence was reflected through Jadeja too as he drilled a few straight down the ground as India winged its way back.

In the morning while Chennai stirred awake under overcast skies, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and opted to field. Openers Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma remained watchful as patience reigned. Taskin Ahmed bent his back but it was Mahmud, who impressed. The seamer bowled at a length that tapped into the batter’s inner Hamlet: to play or not to play!

Inevitable

Mahmud’s rewards were inevitable as skipper Rohit edged one that straightened. A stifled Shubman Gill dallied with one going down the leg-side and at 10.08 a.m., the Chepauk fans cheered with abandon. A reflex-applause earlier reserved for Sachin Tendulkar at number four was now bequeathed to Virat Kohli.

The latter, however, failed to check a drive off Mahmud, the edge thudded into wicket-keeper Litton Das’s gloves and India was hobbling at 34 for three in 9.2 overs.

Pant was pressed into service and even as Nahid Rana kept bouncing, the batters slowly found their groove. Jaiswal drove on either side, Pant slashed and pulled and the southpaws were at ease against off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz. A 62-run fourth-wicket partnership took shape and India moved to 88 for three at lunch.

After the break, Pant got into an awkward tangle against Mahmud, flung his hands, and walked away seething with self-loathing. Jaiswal then found an ally in K.L. Rahul and just as the two sprouted roots, the former edged Nahid. The speedster, often erratic, found his line and scalped Jaiswal (56).

Immediately Rahul followed suit, finding an agile Zakir Hasan at short-leg while the batter lunged forward to Mehidy.

The stage was set for Ashwin and Jadeja’s rescue act. On Wednesday, Gautam Gambhir said that not enough credit is given to these spin all-rounders. In a sense, the two echoed their coach’s views while the sun finally peeped into the venue.

Scoreboard:

India 1st Innings: Yashasvi Jaiswal c Shadman Islam b Nahid Rana 56 Rohit Sharma c Najmul Hossain Shanto b Hasan Mahmud 6 Shubman Gill c Litton Das b Hasan Mahmud 0 Virat Kohli c Litton Das b Hasan Mahmud 6 Rishabh Pant c Litton Das b Hasan Mahmud 39 KL Rahul c Zakir Hasan b Mehidy Hasan Miraz 16 Ravindra Jadeja batting 86 Ravichandran Ashwin batting 102

Extras: (B-18, LB-5, NB-4, W-1) 28

Total: (For 6 wkts, 80 overs) 339

Fall of wkts: 1-14, 2-28, 3-34, 4-96, 5-144, 6-144.

Bowling: Taskin Ahmed 15-1-47-0, Hasan Mahmud 18-4-58-4, Nahid Rana 17-2-80-1, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 21-2-77-1, Shakib Al Hasan 8-0-50-0, Mominul Haque 1-0-4-0.

Teams

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.

Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana.

Published - September 19, 2024 09:47 am IST