The first test of the India-Bangladesh series was won comprehensively by India at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai by 280 runs. The match ended on the fourth day of the match and pushed India to a 1-0 lead in the two-match series while improving their standings in WTC.
In the Indian enclosure, Ravichandran Ashwin was the shock standout that had a contribution with both bat and ball. Carrying his bat through the Indian first innings, he went on to claim six wickets in the second innings and exceeded expectations to help India emerge as the winner in the match.
The Indian side, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, was completely professional throughout the match in what has been regarded as their strongest conditions. Even though Bangladesh demonstrated some measure of fight, they were, in all aspects of the game outplayed. He said the match started with India on the field as the captain decided to bat first after winning the toss.
The hosts set a huge total of 376 in this first innings after being boosted by a century by Ashwin. In reply, Bangladesh could score only 282 and India had a huge lead over the them. The Indian batsmen then went on the rampage in their second innings making 87 for no lose before declaring and setting Bangladesh a seemingly impossible target of 471 runs.
India’s second innings therefore never got off the ground as they were all out for 175, Ashwin off-spin doing the damage. His figures of 6 for 52 in the second innings brought his match total to 8 wickets and deservedly he was named the man of the match. The Christians dominance has boosted India’s chances to reach the final of the World Test Championship for the third time in a row.
By making a win in this tour they have strengthened the position of there in WTC points table. The Indian team versus New Zealand’s performance once again proved the prowess of the Indian players in home conditions because even their bowlers looked quite formidable.
However, there were other remarkable performances to make by other players other than Ashwin. Rohit Sharma scored a fine knock of fifty odd in the first innings and Ravindra Jadeja accounted for valuable wickets in both the innings.
The pace combination of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj also did their job of making Bangladesh batsmen on the back foot. It was a poor show for Bangladesh and their batsmen failed to match up to the Indian bowlers.
However, in the post-match conference, Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto agreed and argued that Bangladesh requires adjustments if it is to stand a chance against India in the second test match. He said two things he wanted to see from his batsmen more applications and from his bowlers better implementation. The last Test in the series is set to commence from September 30 at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.
India would now want to continue this form and usher in a whitewash along with consolidating their position at the top of the World Test Championship table. On the other hand, Bangladesh will be keen to draw level and that would be a major triumph for the Bangladeshi cricket side in India. Moving towards the Kanpur test, everybody will keenly look on whether bangladesh has a chance of coming back into the game or whether India will continue its superiority in front of its home crowd.