Bangladesh v India, 1st Test: Day One
Bangladesh won the toss and put India in on what turned out to be a new ball wicket
The ‘kph’ field in the tables below is the average speed for all the deliveries by bowlers in each stand. Table 1 shows the record for Bangladesh’s fast bowlers, while Table 2 shows the record for Bangladesh’s spinners.
The picture shows a new ball wicket. As the ball got older, the amount of seam and swing for the fast bowlers reduced. The extent to which the ball beat the batter’s intended response (given by nic - not in control) also declined. There was little in the pitch for the spinners.
Nahid Rana bowled fast, and Hasan Mahmud made the new ball talk. Taskin Ahmed was average. Mehidy Hasan Miraz was the better of Bangladesh’s two spin bowling all rounders. Shakib Al Hasan struggled to find the right pace for the conditions. He was too slow through the air allowing the Indian batters to tonk him off both the front and back foot. He may well have benefited from bowling with a slightly newer ball. He was trying, it appeared, to flight the ball in search of turn. There wasn’t much turn on offer. That may change tomorrow.
Ashwin now has more Test runs at Chepauk than MS Dhoni. Only Tendulkar and Gavaskar have scored more Test hundreds there than Ashwin now has.
Bangladesh made the unusual choice of bowling first after winning the toss. This is only the ninth time that India have been sent in after losing the toss in a Test in India. These tests have produced six draws and two Indian defeats. Nevertheless, it is not an enviable choice for a visiting captain against this Indian eleven. Essentially, Shanto had to choose between his batters facing Jasprit Bumrah on a fresh pitch on a cloudy morning, and his batters facing Ashwin and Jadeja in the fourth innings. He chose the latter. Had his spinners found the correct pace and at least some assistance with which to the pin the batters down, or, if the pitch offered seam movement in the middle session of the match, Bangladesh would probably have been batting a little after tea.
The stars didn’t align perfectly for Shanto. Ashwin and Jadeja looked in murderous form for an undefeated stand of 195 in 37.4, as the conditions turned on Bangladesh’s enterprising attack. After the early assistance had India 34/3 in the 10th over to 18 false shots, the last 70 produced 300/3, and only 56 false shots.