Indian bowlers dominate day 2 as Bangladesh face imminent defeat

 

The day 2 of the 1st India vs Bangladesh test belonged to the Indian bowlers as they blew away a fragile Bangladesh batting lineup . India opted to bat in the 2nd innings and is looking to get a huge lead . 

Despite having the opportunity, India did not enforce the follow-on against Bangladesh. After Najmul Hossain Shanto and his team's first innings ended at 149 runs, umpire Rod Tucker approached Rohit Sharma to ask if India would enforce the follow-on. Rohit shook his head, signaling his decision, and left the field. Even with a 227-run lead, the Indian camp was not willing to take the risk of batting in the fourth innings on the Chepauk pitch. By the end of the second day, India was 81/3 in their second innings, leading by 308 runs, with Rohit Sharma and his team inching closer to a win in the first Test.

India's first innings concluded at 376 runs on the second morning. Ravindra Jadeja, who was nearing a century at the end of day one, was dismissed for 86 before he could settle in on Friday. Ravichandran Ashwin's innings came to an end at 113, while Akash Deep fought hard with 17 runs. Jasprit Bumrah contributed 7 runs. Hasan Mahmud, who took 4 wickets on the first day, completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Bumrah, finishing with 5 wickets for 83 runs. Taskin Ahmed also contributed with 3 wickets for 55 runs.

The struggles that Bangladesh's batters faced in the first 26 overs of India's innings were mirrored on Friday at Chepauk. Throughout their innings, Bangladeshi batters appeared uncomfortable. Apart from Shakib Hasan, Litton Das, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, none of the Bangladeshi players showed the resilience to withstand the Indian bowling attack. Coming off a 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan, Shanto’s team seemed less confident on Indian soil, possibly due to the unfamiliar conditions in Chennai. The failure of the top-order batters compounded this pressure.

Openers Shadman Islam (2) and Zakir Hasan (3) were dismissed early. Captain Shanto (20) showed some resistance but Mominul Haque (0) and Mushfiqur Rahim (8) faltered. India’s bowlers had Bangladesh on the ropes, reducing them to 40/5. Bumrah claimed Shadman as his first victim, followed by Akash Deep, who took out Zakir and Mominul in quick succession. Siraj dismissed Shanto, and Bumrah sent Mushfiqur back to the pavilion. Four of Bangladesh's top five batters barely made an impact. Before the lunch break, Bangladesh had already lost 5 wickets.

After lunch, Shakib and Litton attempted to fight back, adding 51 runs for the sixth wicket, providing some relief to the Bangladesh camp. However, Litton was dismissed for 22 by Jadeja, and a few balls later, Shakib followed suit, falling for 32, also to Jadeja. Jadeja's double strike left Bangladesh reeling again. Mehidy Hasan tried to carry on the resistance with the tail-enders, remaining unbeaten on 27. He was supported by Hasan Mahmud (9), Taskin Ahmed (11), and Nahid Rana (11). Bumrah took 4 wickets for 50 runs, while Akash Deep and Jadeja claimed 2 wickets each for 19 runs. Siraj also took 2 wickets for 30 runs, while Ashwin bowled well but remained wicketless. Bangladesh’s first innings ended in 47.1 overs.

India's second innings began cautiously, but Rohit Sharma (5) was dismissed early by a sharp rising delivery from Taskin. Fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal also struggled, scoring just 10 runs. After losing 2 wickets for 28 runs, Shubman Gill steadied India’s innings, holding one end firmly. Even though Virat Kohli tried to play carefully, he was dismissed for 17 by Mehidy Hasan. Kohli's dismissal caused frustration in the Indian camp, as replays later showed that the ball barely touched his bat before hitting his pad, but Kohli did not review the decision after discussing with Shubman. The disappointment was evident on Rohit's face after seeing the replay. At the end of the second day, Shubman Gill remained unbeaten on 33, alongside Rishabh Pant, who was on 12. Rana took 1 wicket for 12 runs, Mehidy 1 for 16, and Taskin 1 for 17.

With 7 wickets in hand, India will aim to add at least 150 more runs on Saturday, which could put Bangladesh under significant pressure. Chasing more than 450 runs in the fourth innings on the Chennai pitch will undoubtedly be a tough task.