CHATTOGRAM
Bangladesh showed it had the stomach for a fight and displayed more than just a semblance of spirit as it reached 272 for six, chasing a mammoth 513, at stumps on day four of the first Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
Where the expectation on Saturday was for a Bangladesh roll over in the face of fierce scoreboard pressure, opener Zakir Hasan shunned the pessimism to score a terrific century on his Test debut (100, 224b, 13×4, 1×6).
Made to order
The 24-year-old had made his international bow nearly five years ago in a T20I match at home against Sri Lanka. That remained his sole outing on the world stage until the current Test, but the tag acquired then, of a T20 specialist, has stuck, despite having scored more than 1,000 runs each in the last two First Class seasons and a recent 173 against India-A.
While there are bursts of dynamism in his batting, none of it is furiously hyperactive as is often seen in the shortest format. The drives were clean and mostly along the ground, cuts deft and pulls controlled.
In the company of Najmul Hossain (67, 156b, 7×4), he ensured that the hosts wouldn’t lose a wicket in the opening session (119/0).
After lunch, even as wickets fell, starting with Umesh Yadav’s breakthrough dismissal of Najmul, Rishabh Pant completing a fine reflex effort after Virat Kohli fumbled the catch at first slip, Zakir’s was a stoic presence.
The ball turned and bounced, but the southpaw didn’t recoil, even taking the aerial route against Kuldeep Yadav, who had left the Bangladesh batters confused in the first innings.
Zakir hoisted Kuldeep over long-off to move into the 90s and got to the century with a swept four.
His downfall, however, came immediately after, when his forward defence to a ball from R. Ashwin went off the pad into Kohli’s hands in the slips.
Axar Patel was the pick of the bowlers (27-10-50-3), with all three of his dismissals in the classic left-arm spinner’s mold. Yasir Ali and Mushfiqur Rahim were both castled by deliveries bowled from slightly wide and above the eyeline, pitching on middle and off-stump and turning away.
Nurul Hasan dragged his feet out trying to reach for the ball only for Pant to remove the bails in a flash.
Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz resisted, putting on 34 for the seventh wicket. Skipper Shakib hoicked Axar for a six and a four straight down the ground and then despatched Kuldeep over extra-cover for four and over deep mid-wicket for six.
Farming the strike
He even farmed the strike to face Kuldeep and Axar, mindful of the left-hander vs. left-armer match-up that’s ubiquitous in the T20 landscape. It didn’t matter that Mehidy, the batter, had played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s ODI series win over India and looked most comfortable in the first innings.
But for how long can such creative thinking shrink the room for bruising reality? Sunday will tell!
INDIA — 1ST INNINGS <QC>
404 in 133.5 overs. <QC>
BANGLADESH — 1ST INNINGS <QC>
150 in 55.5 overs. <QC>
INDIA — 2ND INNINGS <QC>
258/2 decl. in 61.4 overs. <QC>
BANGLADESH — 2ND INNINGS <QC>
Najmul Hossain c Pant b Umesh 67 (156b, 7×4), Zakir Hasan c Kohli b Ashwin 100 (224b, 13×4, 1×6), Yasir Ali b Axar 5 (12b, 1×4), Litton Das c Umesh b Kuldeep 19 (59b, 2×4), Mushfiqur Rahim b Axar 23 (50b, 2×4), Shakib Al Hasan (batting) 40 (69b, 3×4, 2×6), Nurul Hasan st. Pant b Axar 3 (3b), Mehidy Hasan (batting) 9 (40b, 2×4); Extras (b-4, lb-1, nb-1): 6; Total (for six wkts. in 102 overs): 272.
FALL OF WICKETS <QC>
1-124 (Najmul, 46.1 overs), 2-131 (Yasir, 49.6), 3-173 (Litton, 68.4), 4-208 (Zakir, 78.2), 5-234 (Mushfiqur, 87.1), 6-238 (Nurul, 87.6).
INDIA BOWLING <QC>
Siraj 15-3-46-0, Umesh 15-3-27-1, Ashwin 27-3-75-1, Axar 27-10-50-3, Kuldeep 18-2-69-1.
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