India vs Bangladesh first Test | Vibrant start to India’s red-ball season

Proud leader: Rohit will be extremely happy with Jadeja’s all-round show as well as Pant’s performance in his comeback Test.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU

After a long detour in the blue shade, the Indian team settled comfortably into Test whites.

The first Test against Bangladesh that concluded at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday, helped Rohit Sharma’s men tick most boxes on the performance front, a fact reiterated by the 280-run victory. A triumph with a day to spare and the continuing number one status atop the World Test Championship points table, augur well.

Nearly all the batters got runs even if the senior trio of Rohit, Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul did not exactly set the scoreboard on fire but the last-named did reveal a good touch in the second dig. This is a batting unit that has moved on from Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, and in the resultant mix of proven seniors and promising juniors, coach Gautam Gambhir is chasing an ideal blend that can carry India through the rest of the Test season. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, centurion in the second innings, showed their mettle.

The biggest gain would be the validation of the all-rounder zone that now features wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant and spinners R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Gambhir had rightly pointed out that this Indian obsession around a seam-bowling all-rounder has been there since the time Kapil Dev retired. The former India opener hinted that there are other all-rounders too, especially in the spin department.

The troika of Ashwin, Jadeja and Pant, grant heft to the playing eleven, adding crucial runs, a fact evident at Chepauk. Ashwin’s ton and his partnership with Jadeja in the first innings and Pant’s century in the second outing, helped India move way beyond Bangladesh’s reach.

Pant’s has been a remarkable story. To leap out of a flaming car after a highway accident on December 30, 2022, and to go through hospital stints, rehabilitation and a long recovery process, were all a reflection of Pant’s hunger to get back to a game he is extremely passionate about. M.S. Dhoni can never be replaced but India is lucky that it found Pant, another star, who can alter the course of the game.

With more Tests lined up, be it against Bangladesh and New Zealand at home and the ones in Australia, India has started well. As Anil Kumble would always say, you still need 20 wickets to win a Test, and India did precisely that. An attack helmed by Jasprit Bumrah aptly backed by fellow speedsters Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, and also featuring the deadly spin twins Ashwin and Jadeja, can be a nightmare to most rival batters.

The fielding too was spot-on through the clash. Sharp catches were taken, and there was no slackening in the outfield. As India moves to Kanpur for the second Test, Rohit’s men get another chance to emphasise their superiority. If the skipper and his senior ally Kohli could make their bats talk, the team would be primed to deliver another success.