Bangladesh Lose the First Test Against India by Some Distance
Bangladesh are currently playing against India in a two-match test series that is part of the ICC World Test Championship, but the first test did not go the way that the Tigers would have liked. India registered their fourth consecutive home test win, to cement their place at the top of the World Test Championship table.
How the Match Unfolded
Bangladesh won the coin toss and decided that they would have a bat first. However, it was probably a decision that they soon regretted as India reduced the visitors to 31/3 with just 17.6 overs bowled. A 68-run partnership between Mominul and Mushfiqir gave Bangladesh some hope of recovering, but when they were dismissed, the rest of the batting line up folded like a pack of cards and they were bowled out for 150 runs in 58.3 overs. Shami was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he collected 3 wickets for just 27 runs in 13 overs.
India had no such trouble with the bat as they went on to score a huge 493/6 declared. This was mainly thanks to Argawal's fantastic 243, Rahene's 86, Jadeja's 60*, and Pujara's 54. Four of Bangladesh's five bowlers conceded more than 100 runs. Mahmudullah was the only one who didn't, but he only bowled three overs.
Bangladesh struggled again in their second innings and found themselves 72/5 with just the 26.3 overs on the board. There was some resistance from Mushfiqir (64), Das (35), and Mehedi Hassan (38), but they still found themselves bowled out for just 213 runs. Once again, Shami was the star bowler for India as he picked up 4 wickets for 31 runs in 16 overs.
This meant that India won the match by an innings and 130 runs. It is safe to say that they missed Shakib Al Hassan, who is currently serving a ban from all cricket for failing to report to the authorities that he was approached by an illegal batsman.
This was Kohli’s 10th victory by an innings as Indian captain, which means that he has now overtaken Dhoni as the Indian captain with the most innings victories to his name. Not a bad feat if you ask us.
Bangladesh Have a Chance to Redeem Themselves
All is not lost for Bangladesh as there is still one test remaining. However, every single player will have to put in a much better showing if they are overturn India on home soil. Their fans were probably not really expecting much from this series, but they will definitely not be happy if they have to watch their team meekly surrender a game again.
The Tigers beat India in a T20 match for the first time ever on this same tour, so they clearly have some talented players, they just need to believe in themselves a bit more when it comes to the test format of the game.
This match, which is due to be played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, is going to be the first ever day/night test match in India. Therefore, it will go down in the record books and Bangladesh won’t want people to associate this first day/night test match with another thrashing of Bangladesh.