Bangladesh vs India, 1st Test, Day 5: India beat Bangladesh by 188 runs and move up to second place (PCT - 55.77) in World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 Table.
Brief Scores: Bangladesh 324 (Zakir 100, Shakib Al Hasan 84, Axar Patel 4/77) & 150 (Rahim 28, Kuldeep 5/40, Siraj 3/20) lost to India 404 (Pujara 90, Iyer 86, Mehidy 4/112) & 258/2dec (Gill 110, Pujara 102*, Khaled 1/51) by 188 runs
Player of the Match: Kuldeep Yadav – 40, 5/40 & 3/73
Bangladesh needed to bat the whole day or chase down another 241 runs with just 4 wickets in hand on the fifth day’s play of the first Test between Bangladesh and India in Chattogram, to defy KL Rahul and his men. However, Bangladesh could not replicate their fourth day’s resistance and were bowled out for 324, to lose the match by 188 runs. India needed just 11.2 overs on the last day to take the remaining four wickets. Shakib Al Hasan defied India with a knock of 84, while Axar Patel (4/77) and Kuldeep Yadav (3/73) emerged as top wicket-takers for India in the fourth innings.
India have little scope for error if they plan to make it to the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final even though they jumped to the 2nd spot in the points table for the ongoing edition with a PCT of 55.77. This rise in the points table is not just courtesy their win in Chattogram but also due to South Africa’s loss against Australia in Brisbane on Sunday.
Shakib Al Hasan’s defiant 84
After losing Mehidy Hasan Miraz early for 13 on the fifth day, Shakib farmed most of the strike as he was left to bat with just tailenders. He put up a 37-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Taijul Islam. All 37 runs came off Shakib’s bat.
The Bangladesh skipper was dismissed bowled by Kuldeep Yadav for 84. Shakib struck 6 fours and 6 sixes during his knock. If only Shakib had got company from the other end, Bangladesh could have pushed India further and delayed the inevitable.
Read More: BAN v IND, 1st Test, Day 4: India ahead but Bangladesh still in it at 272-6 chasing mammoth score
Let’s take a look at the top performances of the first Test between Bangladesh and India in Chattogram.
Kuldeep Yadav shines on comeback in whites with 40 and a match haul of 8 wickets
Kuldeep Yadav was returning to Test cricket after close to two years, and he stole the limelight in the match. He ended up with bowling figures of 8/73 in the match and was easily the standout spinner from both sides. He mixed his deliveries well, leaving batters clueless about which way the ball would turn. He also got good turn from the pitch, making it difficult for the batters to play their natural strokes.
With the bat, Kuldeep made a crucial 40 in the first innings, stitching a stand of 92 runs for eight wickets with Ravichandran Ashwin. He showed good technique against the spinners, and it would inspire confidence in the team management to give more batting opportunities to him in the future.
Cheteshwar Pujara scores a century after three-and-a-half years (90 & 102*)
Cheteshwar Pujara had last scored a ton in January 2019 and was even dropped from the Test squad before making plenty of runs in domestic cricket to make another comeback to the national team. But he needed a century in this game to gain some much-needed boost to his confidence ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2022-23 against Australia to be held in February-March 2023 in India.
Pujara missed out on a ton in the first innings, getting dismissed for 90. But in the second innings, he showed great urgency to race to his ton in just 130 balls – the fastest of his career. The best thing about this ton was the strike rate of close to 100 to move from 50 to 100, implying Pujara can adjust his game to meet the team’s requirements.
The Supporting Acts
A few other notable contributions came from Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj. Gill scored his maiden Test century, and his performance will create more selection headaches for India once Rohit Sharma comes back to take the opener’s slot. However, what was impressive about Gill’s knock is the positivity and urgency he showed to make quick runs when India were batting in the second innings.
Similarly, Mohammed Siraj’s was another special performance when he took 3/20 in Bangladesh’s first innings, mainly the wickets of top-order batters, and gave India early breakthroughs. The rise of Siraj is impressive, and his performance has not let India miss the services of its strike bowler in Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
What’s Next for India
India must win four out of their five remaining Tests in this cycle of WTC to make it to the final which will be held in June 2023. If they win the second Test against Bangladesh, they will have to win three out of four Tests against Australia, and it will give them some leeway. However, India cannot afford to remove their foot off the pedal in the second Test as Bangladesh would come hard at them.
ICC World Test Championship 2021 - 2023
Position | Team | PCT(%) | Points | W | L | D | No. of series | Penalty |
1 | Australia | 75 | 108 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
2 | India | 55.77 | 87 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 5 | -5 |
3 | South Africa | 54.55 | 72 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
4 | Sri Lanka | 53.33 | 64 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
5 | England | 44.44 | 112 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 6 | -12 |
6 | Pakistan | 42.42 | 56 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
7 | West Indies | 40.91 | 54 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | -2 |
8 | New Zealand | 25.93 | 28 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
9 | Bangladesh | 12.12 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
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