Finance
Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Mohammed Siraj took the final four wickets as India defeated Bangladesh by 188 runs in the first Test at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Sunday.
The victory also gives India a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, with KL Rahul earning his first Test victory. Though Bangladesh fought hard to postpone the inevitable, thanks to skipper Shakib Al Hasan’s 84, others succumbed as they were bowled out for 324 in 113.2 overs.
In the fourth innings, India’s left-arm spinner Axar took four wickets, while Kuldeep took three, and Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Ravichandran Ashwin each took one. The win also boosts India’s prospect of reaching a second successive World Test Championship final, going past Sri Lanka to be third in the table with 55.77 points percentage.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz began his comeback from 272/6 with a stylish cover drive off Mohammed Siraj for four, while Shakib slog-swept Axar for a six over deep square leg. Mehidy attempted a drive against Siraj on a slightly wide ball and hit straight to backward point.
Shakib scored his fifty in style, dancing down the pitch and lofting over long-on for a six off Axar. Shakib pulled Siraj twice over long-on and fine leg for two fours and a six when Siraj tried to bounce him out.
Shakib swept hard against Kuldeep through mid-wicket after dancing down the pitch to smack Axar over cow corner for six. However, on the last ball of the over, India finally ended Shakib’s blitzkrieg at 84 as Kuldeep got one to go past the attempted sweep and hit top of middle stump.
Kuldeep took another wicket when Ebadot Hossain flicked off leg-break straight to forward short leg, before Axar removed Taijul Islam’s off stump to seal India’s victory.
There were several heroes for India in the 188-run victory, beginning with fifties by Cheteshwar Pujara, Shreyas Iyer, and Ashwin, as well as Kuldeep’s 40, which brought the first innings total to 404 after it was 48/3 at one point.
In the first innings, Siraj ripped through Bangladesh’s top order, while Kuldeep took five wickets to bowl them out for 150. With a massive 254-run lead, India chose not to follow-on and batted again, with Pujara and Shubman Gill scoring centuries to set a target of 513 for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s openers put on a 124-run stand in pursuit of a massive total, with debutant Zakir Hasan scoring his maiden Test century. However, India’s bowlers, who had to work hard on a slow-turning track with some turn and bounce, battled back after lunch on day four to secure the victory.
Bangladesh and India will now play the second and final Test of the series at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka, from December 22 to 26.
Brief Scores: India 404 in 133.5 overs and 258/2 declared in 61.4 overs beat Bangladesh 150 in 55.5 overs and 324 in 113.2 overs (Zakir Hasan 100, Shakib Al Hasan 84; Axar Patel 4/77, Kuldeep Yadav 3/73) by 188 runs
Source:OCN
