Nearly three days of play were lost to rain and a wet outfield. But that did not dampen India’s spirit as it walked into the Green Park Stadium on Monday with an aggressive mindset and an aim to force a result in the second Test against Bangladesh.
Living in a time when England’s aggressive ‘Bazball’ seems to be the road ahead for red-ball cricket to stay relevant, India was clear in its approach right from the beginning. And that reflected in its performance on the field as its bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah (three for 50), ensured that Bangladesh couldn’t go beyond 233 in its first innings, despite being steadily placed at 107 for 3 after the rain-curtailed first day.
While Mominul Haque fought a lone battle, en route to his unbeaten 107, none of his fellow batters could hold their ground as the visiting team lost seven wickets for just 126 wickets.
More than the wicket, it was a mental block that hurt the Bangladesh batters, and with Bumrah and Akash Deep resuming the day with four maidens in the first five overs, the visiting team could never really show its intent.
Adding to its woes, India set attacking fields with three slips and two gullies, which unsettled the Bangladesh batters further as Litton Das and the seasoned Shakib Al Hasan departed despite promising starts.
With Bumrah slicing through the tail in the post-lunch session and Ravindra Jadeja claiming the wicket of Khaled - registering his 300th Test match scalp and also joining an elite list of players with the double of 3000 Test runs and 300 wickets - Bangladesh would have struggled to cross the 220-run mark had Mominul not been around.
After the bowlers put the opponent on the mat, the onus was on the batters. Captain Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal (72, 51b) set the tone in the post-lunch session with a fiery 55-run opening partnership.
As pacers Hasan Mahmud and Khaled Ahmed struggled to keep it in the right areas, Rohit slammed three sixes and sent out a statement that India was, indeed, eyeing a result from this game to go further up in the World Test Championship points table.
Though Rohit’s stay at the crease lasted for just 23 minutes, his positive approach saw India register the fastest team 50 in Tests, which was followed by the records of fastest 100, 150, 200 and 250 in the format.
Shubman Gill scored some quick runs along with Jaiswal, who once again proved his class with a fearless knock before being cleaned up by Mahmud.
K.L. Rahul, too, found his mojo with a 43-ball-68 and forged a crucial 87-run stand with Virat Kohli, who missed out on a fifty by just three runs. They capitalised on the foundation provided by the top three, Rahul and Kohli - usually known for their traditional approach - and ensured that the team maintained an enviable scoring rate of 8.22, which eventually helped the home side reach 285 for 9 just under 35 overs, before declaring the innings.
Rahul, whose approach in the longer format often came under the scanner, relied on sweeps and reverse sweeps and toyed with the spinners, playing in a rather T20 mode. Though Mehidy Hasan Miraz (4-41) and Shakib Al Hasan (4-78) claimed a chunk of wickets, the body language of the Bangladesh players indicated that they were clearly taken aback by India’s aggressive style of play.
Having conceded a 52-run lead, Bangladesh hoped to start off cautiously in the second essay, but by the time stumps were drawn, R. Ashwin trapped Zakir Hasan leg before, and cleaned up night-watcher Hasan Mahmud. As Shadman Islam survived a dropped chance on 3, Bangladesh ended the day at 26 for 2, trailing by another 26 runs.
With a sunny day on the forecast and India leaving no stone unturned to earn a win, an action-packed final day awaits for cricket enthusiasts.
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