Ashwin , Jadeja rescues India as the hosts rally from 144/6 vs Bangladesh in 1st test

 The 1st Test of the India vs Bangladesh series started at Chennai & fielding first the toursits rattled India in the 1st half of the day till the two allrounders rescued the hosts from utter despair. 

Within 10 overs, India had already lost three batters. Looking at the score, it was hard to tell whether India was playing Bangladesh at home or Australia on foreign soil. Losing 3 wickets for just 34 runs left coach Gautam even more serious. Behind this quick fall was Bangladesh's Hasan Mahmud, who dashed India's hopes early on. However, by the end of the day, Gautam had reasons to smile, thanks to Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. India finished the first day at 339/6.

There was much anticipation surrounding the pitch in Chennai even three days before the match. It was expected to be a red-soil pitch, typical of Chennai, which usually assists pacers. On Thursday, it was confirmed that the India-Bangladesh match would be played on that red-soil pitch. Bangladesh captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto, after winning the toss, opted to bowl first, a decision that Hasan Mahmud proved to be the right one.

Bangladesh had a clear strategy against India's batters. Hasan's strength lies in his ability to bowl long spells with consistent line and length, and he demonstrated that effectively. His pace troubled the Indian batters, and the nature of their dismissals showed that Hasan had planned for each of them. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were dismissed while poking at deliveries outside off-stump, and Shubman Gill fell trying to play a leg-stump ball to fine leg. Bangladesh's bowlers had clearly identified the weaknesses of India's batters, and it became evident in the way Kohli and others got out. .

After the early wickets, Yashasvi Jaiswal (56) and Rishabh Pant (39) tried to rebuild the innings. They managed to hold the fort until lunch, but right after the break, Hasan struck again, dismissing Pant with a delivery outside the off-stump. It was hard to digest for Pant, who had settled in by then. Pant's last Test before this one was against Bangladesh in 2022, after which he had been sidelined following a car accident. Though he made a promising start, he couldn't convert it into a big score, which was disappointing for a player of his experience. Jaiswal got a great ball which he edged behind . Rahul (16) failed to deliver, falling to spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz. 

Amidst the batting failures, it was Ravichandran Ashwin who kept India in the game. He scored his sixth century in Test cricket, and what's more, his strike rate was impressive. He remained unbeaten on 102 from 112 balls, with a strike rate of 91.07. When Ashwin came to the crease, India was struggling at 144/6, with even 250 runs looking uncertain. But Ashwin counterattacked, putting pressure on Bangladesh's bowlers, and gradually, the match began to shift in India's favour. Some of Ashwins shots resembled VVS Laxman's . By the end of the day, India had put up 339 runs, a strong position considering the early pressure created by Hasan and his teammates.

Jadeja also deserves praise. While Bangladesh's bowlers were taking wickets against right-handed batters, it was the left-handed pair of Jaiswal and Pant who initially stood firm, giving India some hope before lunch. After Pant's dismissal, Jaiswal fought on for a while, but when they got out, Jadeja took charge. He remained unbeaten on 86 from 117 balls. Much like how the Ashwin-Jadeja duo often wins matches with the ball, they were now doing it with the bat. Without them, India would have been in serious trouble.

On the second day, Bangladesh will begin with the new ball. Fans are keen to see how much further Ashwin and Jadeja can stretch India's lead. Bangladesh bowled 80 overs on the first day, with Hasan taking 4 wickets. Nahid Rana and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took one each. Pacers like Rana caught the eye with his pace, troubling India's batters. However, Ashwin and Jadeja seemed relatively untroubled by Bangladesh's bowlers.