Bangladesh's fast bowler Hasan Mahmud dazzled the cricket fans in Chennai with a remarkable four-wicket haul yesterday. However, as India began to stabilise, Hasan had to wait until the following day to complete his five-wicket haul.
On the second day, the Indian batting order faltered, with Taskin Ahmed spearheading the attack. He struck early, removing the well-set Ravindra Jadeja in the third over of the day. Later, Akash Deep misjudged a delivery and was caught at mid-off.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who had scored a century the previous day, became Taskin's third victim. With India on the brink at nine wickets down and their last batsman at the crease, Hasan seized his moment. He delivered a perfect delivery to Jasprit Bumrah, who edged it to third slip, thus allowing Hasan to become the first Bangladeshi bowler to claim a five-wicket haul on Indian soil. His final figures read 22.2 overs, 4 maidens, 83 runs, and 5 wickets.
This achievement also marked Hasan's consecutive five-wicket hauls, following his impressive performance in Rawalpindi. He joined the ranks of Robiul Islam as the second Bangladeshi pacer to achieve this feat in successive Tests.
To celebrate this milestone, Hasan performed a sajdah, a rare display of emotion from a bowler who usually refrains from celebrating his wickets. This moment was a testament to his significant achievement in Test cricket.
Interestingly, Hasan was not initially considered for Test cricket. He was primarily viewed as a white-ball specialist, and his performances in the last ODI World Cup had seen him fall out of favour. His prospects in red-ball cricket seemed bleak until an injury to pacer Mushfiq Hasan during the home series against Sri Lanka opened the door for him. He justified the selectors' faith with a four-wicket haul in the second innings of the second Test.
Hasan's red-ball performances suggest he could play a pivotal role in Bangladesh's Test plans. His smooth bowling action is a key asset, although he has had to manage his pace carefully due to past injuries.
Recognising his potential, the Bangladesh Tigers programme worked to enhance his skills ahead of the tours of Pakistan and India. Tareq Aziz, the programme's bowling coach, spoke about Hasan's development before the India series.
"Hasan is an exceptional talent and one of our finest bowlers. I believe he has even more potential to unlock. He can bowl at high speeds and control his swing. His progress was hampered by a long-term back injury, but he has shown steady improvement since then. I believe he will eventually bowl at 145 km/h because he has that capability. We've worked on his outswing and fine-tuned his technique to trouble batsmen and increase his wicket-taking chances," Tareq explained to reporters in Mirpur before the India series.
