Kolkata: Virat Kohli’s (59 batting, 93b, 8×4) batting masterclass and stodgy Cheteshwar Pujara’s (55, 105b, 8×4) resolute batting put India on the driver’s seat as India ended the day at 174/3 in response to Bangladesh’s first innings total of 106 all out in the country’s first-ever international day-night pink ball Test match at Eden Gardens here, Friday.
With two of their batsmen concussed, the mentally-scarred Bangladesh attack then found itself at the receiving end as skipper Kohli and Pujara tormented the opposition bowlers in front of their PM Sheikh Hasina and board president Nazmul Hossain.
With India taking a 68-run lead, and the way Bangladeshi batsmen feared the Indian pacers, it looks like the cricket loving Kolkata public will not have an opportunity to witness even three full days’ action. Ajinkya Rahane (23 batting) is accompanying his captain at the crease.
The city turned pink, the crowd responded to the brainchild of its favourite son Sourav Ganguly, who arranged a first-of-its-kind match in less than a month’s time.
However, the gulf in standards along with the singular lack of intent from the visitors took some sheen away from the game.
Earlier, Ishant Sharma (5/22) grabbed his first five-wicket haul on Indian soil after a good 12 years, after a brave decision by opposition captain Mominul Haque to bat first on a seamer-friendly pitch.
Umesh Yadav hurried the Bangladeshi batsmen for pace with 3/29 while Mohammed Shami (2/36) was deadly bowling the cutters wide off the crease. It was Shami’s sharp bouncers which left Liton Das (24) and Nayeem Hasan (19) concussed.
Bangladesh lasted just 30.3 overs in their first innings with specialist spinners Ravindra Jadeja bowling a solitary over and Ravichandran Ashwin wasn’t even required to roll his arms over.
Clearly the menacing Indian pace attack exposed Bangladeshi’s lack of technical finesse as the ‘pink ball Test’ was agreed upon three days before their tour departure on the initiative of newly-elected BCCI president Ganguly.
Bangladesh batsmen looked unsettled by the capacity crowd, something they have never encountered even in their home Tests and the world-class bowling made it even more difficult.
Such was their plight that for the first time in the subcontinent, batsmen No.3, 4 and 5 – skipper Mominul Haque, Mohammad Mithun, and senior-most player Mushfiqur Rahim – were all dismissed for a duck.
The day will also be remembered because of local lad Wriddhiman Saha who was a class act behind the stumps, despite the catching scepticism surrounding the pink ball. The ball was swinging a lot after moving the batsman.
His low catch of Mahmadullah, outstretched and dragged across Virat Kohli at the first slip, was the highlight of his keeping as he also completed a milestone of 100 dismissals in longest format.
While Bangladesh captain Mominul had a point when he spoke about lack of preparation but when Kohli with barely one and a half net session hit those elegant boundaries under light, one knew why a solid basic technique made such a difference.
With a quick trigger, Kohli would cover the line and negate the seam movement hitting those languid cover drives with grace. Pujara on the otherhand also looked solid after quick departure from Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma, adding 94 runs for the third wicket with his captain.
