India's pace bowlers, led by Mohd Shami who claimed two wickets in two balls, made a mincemeat of Bangladesh's batting as the tourists were bowled out for 150 in their first innings in an eventful start to the first Test at the Holkar International Stadium in Indore on Thursday.
Aided by 72-run partnership for the second wicket between Cheteshwar Pujara and Mayank Agarwal, India responded strongly by putting on 86 runs in 26 overs at close of play after overcoming the early loss of opener and dangerman Rohit Sharma who was removed by paceman Abu Jayed for just six runs in the eighth over of the hosts’ first innings. India are 64 behind Bangladesh.
Bangladesh would have been worse off but for five dropped catches by Indian fielders.
India played out a tricky period late in the final session of the first day’s play with Mayank and Cheteshwar.
Bangladesh could have ended the day on a happier note when debutant Test captain Mominul Haque brought about a bowling change which immediately produced a chance but Bangladesh failed to hold on. Abu Jayed forced an edge off Mayank's bat but Imrul Kayes dropped him at first slip.
India have had a great day yet again in the Indore test which is part of the ICC World Test Championship. Their moto in the Championship matches at home has been to bat out the opposition in the first innings. At 86/1, they are in prime position to stick to their template on day two.
Earlier, Mominul’s decision to bat after winning the toss was not wrong but Bangladesh batsmen floundered badly on a seaming pitch even though there was no devil in it. So spineless was Bangladesh batting that their supporters must wondering about Mominul’s decision to bat first.
Shami's prodigious reverse swing and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's guile broke the backbone of Bangladesh batting, reducing the visitors to 140 for seven at tea.
Shami (3/27 in 11 overs) once again showed his mastery with the old ball removing Bangladesh’s best bet Mushfiqur Rahim (43 off 105 balls) with a sharp in-cutter followed by a similar delivery that got rid of spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraj (0).
Shami set up Mushfiqur with conventional outswingers and then got a 53-plus over old ball to jag back sharply, leaving the batsman in a daze.
This was after a luckless Ravichandran Ashwin (2/43 in 16 overs) more than made up for butter-fingered' colleague and India Test vice captain Ajinkya Rahane by breaching through defence of Bangladesh batsmen.
India's slip fielding was below-par on the day with Ashwin paying the price for Rahane's twin bloopers in the slip cordon that gave Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad (10) reprieve. This was after Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque (36) was let off by skipper Virat Kohli off Umesh Yadav in the first session.
However, Bangladesh could not take advantage of the fielding lapses by India for whom none of them proved costly because of the superlative performance of the bowling unit.
Ashwin took the Indian fielders out of his game-plan equation in the post-lunch session. First, he angled one delivery to left-hander Mominul who thought it will be a conventional off-break and decided to leave the delivery. To his horror, it came in with the angle to peg the off-stump back.
Mahmudullah Riyad was lucky when Rahane dropped a regulation catch at slip but was dismissed to a rank bad shot. The right-hander tried to sweep Ashwin from outside the off-stump and in the process was bowled round his legs leaving all three stumps exposed.
When the Bangladesh innings began, the pace trio of Umesh Yadav (1/39 in 13 overs), Ishant Sharma (1/18 in 13 overs) and Shami gave a torrid time to Bangladesh.
At the lunch break, skipper Mominul Haque (22 batting, 56 balls) and the seasoned Mushfiqur Rahim (14 batting, 22 balls) were at the crease, having added 32 runs for the fourth wicket.
The pace unit, which has been on the top of its game over the last 22 months, bowled a probing line during the first spell and the disconcerting extra bounce made life difficult for the Bangladeshi batsmen.
Mohammed Shami peaked towards the end of the second session while Ishant and Umesh were on top of their game from the beginning. Ashwin was unlucky to miss a few wickets with Ajinkya Rahane dropping three catches off him, but the off-spinner picked up two important wickets in the second session to hasten the Bangladesh batting collapse.
India's fast bowlers capitalized on a helpful pitch reducing Bangladesh to 63 for three in 26 overs at lunch. The pace unit, which has been on the top of its game over the last two years, bowled a probing line during the first spell and got disconcerting extra bounce that made life difficult for the Bangladeshi batsmen.
The Bangladesh openers perished in quick succession. But Mominul, who with some luck, survived a dropped catch and looked good to capitalize and Mushfiqur who joined him after Shami trapped Mohammad Mithun in front, for company.
Comeback man Imrul Kayes (6 off 18 balls) looked troubled from the start as Umesh kept troubling him with deliveries that came back sharply after pitching. Finally, Umesh bowled one fast and full as Kayes was squared up, giving a regulation catch to Rahane at third slip.
Ishant, on the other hand, used his height to create awkward bounce from the length and got young Shadman Islam (6 off 24 balls) to edge one to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha who easily caught it with a'reverse cup'. This was Saha’s 300th catch in first class matches.
With Bangladesh at 12 for 2, Mithun (12) joined his skipper. The duo batted for 11 overs, close to an hour but only 19 runs were scored which certainly increased the pressure on Bangladesh.
However Mithun, who had survived one DRS on umpires' call off Umesh's bowling, wasn't lucky the second time when Shami came in as one change and bowled one full that tailed in and caught the right-hander plumb in-front making it 31 for 3.
It could well have been four down but Mushfiqur survived when a thickish outside edge off Umesh's bowling flew towards a diving Indian skipper Virat Kohli's right but the ball popped out of his hands. That over ended with a bold shot from Mominul over the slip cordon.
Mushfiqur and Mominul put on the most productive partnership in Bangladesh innings. The duo nudged and prodded their way to add 68 runs which helped boost the total to 99. But Ashwin got the breakthrough with a sliding delivery from around the wicket to Haque and that triggered a slide.
Mominul was circumspect against Ashwin but latched on the moment the latter erred. Mominul too had a reprieve s when Ashwin forced an outside edge off a cut shot from Mominul and Rahane, at first slip, was blinded by the Saha and reacted late to the chance. The ball went through his right hand.
Umesh, who has been excellent with his line and length, brought one ball back into Mithun who was struck on the pads and India reviewed after the on-field umpire gave it not-out.
However, Mithun had no answer to a deadly ball from Shami who came up with a fuller length ball and trapped Mithun in front with late movement into the right-hander.
Liton Das, who was off to a confident start playing some positive strokes, edged the first ball after tea to the slip cordon and Kohli took a neat catch this time. The set batsmen are all gone and we are into the tail. Liton scored 21 of the 25 runs in partnership with Mushfiqur.
The fag-end of the post-tea session was superb for India as Shami picked up two wickets in two balls to reduce Bangladesh to 140/7.
Ravichandran Ashwin broke the Rahim-Mominul stand and then added the wicket of Mahmudullah to dent Bangladesh further.
Mahmudullah played a poor shot as he went outside the off-stump to try and sweep Ashwin and missed the ball completely and was bowled.
Ashwin, from around the wicket, bowled an under-cutter that went with the angle without turning. Mominul was flummoxed and offered a leave only to see his stumps shattered. The Bangladesh captain, who was starting to look threatening, gave Ashwin his 250 Test wickets at home. Ashwin equaled Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan's record of fewest Tests to reach 250 Test wickets at home (in 42 Tests).
Shami went wide of the crease and the angle befuddles Mehidy Hasan who played all around it to be trapped in front.
Abu Jayed sent Bangladesh to a flying start by earning the first breakthrough by dismissing Rohit Sharma who played a shot with no feet movement and ended up nicking it behind to the wicket-keeper. Rohit Sharma departed for 6 with India are 14/1 in 7.2 overs. Trail by 136 runs.
Pacemen Ebadat Hossain and Abu Jayed kept things tight and when Rohit was dismissed, the visitors enjoyed their first real phase of control in the match. But Cheteshwar and Mayank quickly ensured that was a brief moment and their unbroken 72-run partnership helped India through to stumps without anything more eventful.
