CHENNAI, India, Sept 19 (Askume) – India’s Ravichandran Ashwin bowled out Bangladesh’s La Liga opener on the opening day of the first Test and combined with Ravindra Jadeja to help the hosts get on top with a six-wicket collapse that ended in a mammoth 339 for 3 on Thursday.
India fell to 34-3 early in the session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium after Bengal’s Hasan Mahmud claimed the wicket in the morning session.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal made 56 but an uninterrupted marathon partnership of 195 runs between Ashwin and Jadeja for the seventh wicket helped India come back in the game.
Ashwin scored an unbeaten 102 off 112 balls, his sixth Test century, hitting 10 fours and two sixes. Jadeja is on the verge of scoring his fifth Test century with an 86-run innings.
Ashwin said, “It is a bit exciting on this kind of surface, if you are going to chase the ball, you might as well chase it hard…”
“It’s an old surface in Chennai, which has some bounce and dribbling ability, and the clay courts can give you some shots.
“If you’re willing to get to the line … and put some power on the ball, it really helps.”
Bangladesh were in peak form after beating Pakistan 2–0 in the series earlier this month , with captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto dominating the first two matches.
Home skipper Rohit Sharma (six) needed 11 balls to reach the target and survived a strong LBW appeal before Hasan was forced to have him caught by Shanto at second slip.
In his next over, Hasan had Shubhman Gill caught for zero, scratching the ball on the leg side.
Virat Kohli also got out easily as his wicket ran away from his body and he was eventually dismissed for six runs.
Challenging conditions and the loss of partners did not disappoint Jaiswal, with the opener playing elegant drives and superb flicks.
Rishabh Pant (39), playing his first Test since his horrific car accident in December 2022, fearlessly cut in and turned the heat back on the bowlers by scoring quick runs.
Hasan added 62 runs shortly after the lunch break before Pant’s lazy delivery outside off-stump led to his dismissal once again.
Nahid Rana ended Jaiswal’s whirlwind innings and spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz dismissed KL Rahul before Ashwin, along with Jadeja, launched a brilliant counter-attack.
