5 takeaways from India vs Bangladesh Test series (Twitter)
The much-anticipated Test series between India and Bangladesh concluded with the home team whitewashing the visitors 2-0 in emphatic fashion. The Indian team proved too strong for their eastern neighbours as the latter dominated India for only two sessions in the series. Post that, it was mostly India all the way.
Talking about the first match in Chennai, Bangladesh had India on the mat on Day 1 at 144/6. A century from Ashwin and a valiant 86 from Jadeja brought India out of trouble. With 376 on the board, the Indian bowlers did their job excellently, bowling Bangladesh out for 149. India batted well to post a target of 515 which proved too much for the visitors as they lost the match by 280 runs.
The second match began under dark skies. After coming into bat, Bangladesh hardly got going as they lost their first three wickets for 80 runs. With the score on 107/3 rain came into the picture and played spoilsport for the next two and a half days. As Day 4 started, the match seemed to be headed for a draw. However, another industrious bowling effort from India ensured Bangladesh were bowled out for 233.
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What came next blew away the visitors. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal played like it was a T20 game and the batters to follow stuck to the same theme. India scored 285/9d in just 34.4 overs which allowed them a lot of time to bowl Bangladesh out again which they did in decently quick time to chase a target of 95 runs. Eventually, India cruised to a win by seven wickets.
Here are five things that we learned from this series –
1. India are far ahead of Bangladesh in Tests
Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: BCCI)
A couple of weeks before the tour commenced, Bangladesh had clean-swept Pakistan in Pakistan (2-0), in the process winning not just a series but also a Test match against them for the first time. Understandably, it gave them immense confidence and a warning to India to not take them lightly. With this background, it was expected that Bangladesh will give India a run for their money which they did but only in the first two sessions of the series. After that, India were ahead of the opposition throughout.
As a team, Bangladesh failed to click during crucial phases. Their batting was not up to the mark in the first innings in Chennai. In fact, it was inconsistent overall. More than the skills their mindset seemed to be the issue as it did not seem clear what their intent was. It was not the Bangladesh batting that we have seen on many occasions, especially at home, when they look to try to dominate the bowlers.
Talking of the bowling, one can argue it was better than their batting. However, it was put under pressure not just by the Indian bowlers but also by the lack of runs from their own batters. The overall body language of the Bangladeshis on the field did not seem of a team which could rise from the ashes or dominate. The gulf between India and Bangladesh seemed wide in this series.
2. Resilience of Indian batting line-up
Ravichandran Ashwin. (Source – BCCI)
The Bangladesh bowlers rocked the Indian batting line-up in the first innings of the first Test. At 144/6, it felt like it would be a task to even get to 200. However, this is where the experience and grit of the batting line-up brought India out of a hole. It was a significant period of play and India managed to fight courtesy of their batters, Ashwin (113) and Jadeja (86). Had they not stitched up a 199-run partnership the fate of the first Test match could have been something else.
Boosted by the bowlers’ performance in the first innings, the Indian batters did not look back subsequently. Shubman Gill, who failed in the first innings, managed to score a century in the second. Rishabh Pant, who returned to Test cricket after his unfortunate accident, scored a 39 and 109 at Chepauk. In the second innings, India scored their runs at 4.48, signalling their intent to speed up the pace of play and dominate the opposition.
In the second Test in Kanpur, India not only scored runs at a rapid pace but were also unperturbed by wickets falling at regular intervals at one stage. They took advantage of the momentum and kept the runs coming. At no stage did they think of going back to playing at the traditional pace of Test cricket.
3. Shakib Al Hasan was not his usual self
Shakib Al Hasan. (Source – Getty Images)
The 37-year-old legend of Bangladesh cricket has delivered memorable and match-winning performances with both bat and ball across formats. Shakib’s mere presence in the team psychologically boosts the morale and sends out a warning to the opposition. However, the veteran did not look like his usual self.
On the batting front, his scores were 32, 25, 9, and 0. A mere 66 runs from four innings is not what one would expect from him and it substantially affected Bangladesh’s batting performance. Not just the scores but also the manner in which he got out was unlike him. A hoick to show intent in the first innings in Kanpur against a wily Ashwin and a straightforward catch back to the bowler in the second innings summed up the form and mindset of Shakib in this series.
His bowling was way below his high standards too. Notably, he did not pick up a wicket in Chennai. His combined figures read 0/129 from two innings. In Kanpur, he did pick up a four-wicket haul and bowled wisely as the Indian batters were on an attacking mission. However, he conceded 78 runs at 7.09 per over. With an overall tally of 4/225 in the series, Shakib was clearly off-colour.
It can be argued that his performance was affected by what is happening off the field with him. The argument can hold some credence as his demeanour on the field was unlike his usual self.
4. Attacking cricket – India’s philosophy
Rohit Sharma. (Photo source: Prakash Singh/Getty Images)
The approach and style of play of the Indian team has evolved over the past two decades under various captains. More recently, the Indian team has been playing Test cricket in an attacking manner. It started with Virat Kohli’s captaincy when he and Ravi Shastri went for wins without fearing the possibility of defeats. A draw was something which was not on the table for them.
In the same vein, under Gautam Gambhir and Rohit’s leadership it appears that the team is going to take this aggressive, go-for-the-win approach a few notches up. The way India batted in the first innings in Kanpur is going to be talked about for a long time. They broke multiple records relating to scoring runs fast and brought the game alive. A draw which was looking inevitable at the start of Day 4 became a distant possibility when the day ended. An Indian victory was more likely than any other result on Day 5.
This attacking form of batting worked for India in Kanpur and it may work for them in future too. But it comes with its own risks and it is understood that the team will deploy this strategy mostly when they need to increase the pace of play to bring about a result, unlike Bazball.
Also Check: Virat Kohli gifts bat to Shakib Al Hasan after India’s dominant win in Kanpur
5. Indian bowling comes to the fore again
Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo Source: BCCI)
The Indian bowling was on the money right from the get-go. The newcomer Akash Deep, the ever-passionate Siraj, and the leader of the pack Jasprit Bumrah bowled magnificent spells in the first innings in Chennai to set the tone. When pace did not do wonders in the second innings it was the crafty off-spin of Ashwin and the slow left-armers of Jadeja which helped in bundling out the opposition.
In Kanpur, the bowlers again worked in tandem to limit Bangladesh to 233 in the first innings, allowing the Indian batters to open up the game. In the second innings, the time was limited and the lead meagre, yet the bowlers conjured up a collapse on the final day when a partnership was formed and the visitors seemed steady. It was a combined effort which saw Bangladesh go from 91/3 to 94/7 and eventually 146 all out. Without the Indian bowlers’ performance, the match could have gone to the wire. Instead, India won the game with ease with no sort of pressure.
It is incredible how the Indian bowlers manage to bring the team back into the game (remember the T20 World Cup 2024 final?) or deliver performances which are highly required in a particular match situation. It augurs well for them given that there are eight more Tests to come in the next few months with a place in the World Test Championship final at stake.
