Bangladesh openers applied themselves brilliantly to defy and frustrate Indian bowlers chasing a massive target of 513 runs to win the first Test in Chattogram. Both Najmul Hossain Shanto and debutant Zakir Hassan left good balls and punished the bad ones to stitch an excellent 124-run opening stand. India needed something special to break the stand and begin the wickets procession and it finally did with Umesh Yadav getting rid of set Shanto, who was batting on 67.
The incident took place in the 47th over of the Bangladesh innings when Shanto poked at a wider delivery from Umesh to the first slip. However, the ball got big on Virat Kohli and he spilled it. But, the wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant was attentive enough and showed his presence of mind. As the ball ballooned up in the air, Pant dived to his left and held on to a stunning catch. Kohli was ecstatic to see the catch being held while the stand-in captain KL Rahul was relieved seeing the back of Shanto.
India finally broke the stubborn stand and the left-arm spinner Axar Patel didn’t take much time to get India their second breakthrough as he sent back Yasir Ali for just 5 as the visitors got two wickets in quick succession.
Bangladesh batters in the absence of skipper Shakib Al Hasan, came out with determination to play out time, which was the only way they could compete in the game as the target is a big one of over 500 runs. Both openers Shanto and debutant Zakir showed that they were tough nuts to crack and eventually made merry on a track, which hadn’t deteriorated much.
Earlier, it was Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara’s centuries that helped India peg the hosts further back after getting a first-innings lead of 254. While Gill slammed his maiden Test ton, Pujara scored his fastest century of his Test career and ended a 1443-day-long drought.
