Having executed all of the arduous work on Day 4, India wanted simply 48 minutes on Sunday to take away the remaining 4 Bangladesh wickets and take a 1-0 lead within the two-match Check sequence. The second match starting in Mirpur on Thursday is not going to be a cakewalk, particularly given the hosts’ latest monitor document on the venue, and the way it stays one of the vital difficult venues in Bangladesh because of its slowness and the quantity of flip it takes.
All mentioned and executed, as India head to Mirpur once more — a venue the place they misplaced two ODIs on the trot earlier on the tour – they are going to be driving excessive on confidence. And though it stays an extended shot, stand-in captain KL Rahul revealed {that a} name on skipper Rohit Sharma’s availability will likely be recognized in a few days.
What stood out for #TeamIndia of their win over Bangladesh within the first Check 🤔 #BANvIND
🗣️ 🗣️ Right here’s what captain @klrahul mentioned 🔽 pic.twitter.com/loCwIWzG7K
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 18, 2022
In the interim, their crew masseurs could be the busiest on Sunday as all of them collect collectively to observe the Argentina vs France World Cup ultimate. The bowling group would positively have a couple of of them whose shoulders badly want a therapeutic massage having despatched 113.2 overs within the fourth innings. For a crew that has principally performed solely whiteball cricket in latest reminiscence, this win would really feel a bit particular, even when one leaves out the opposition because it got here after a slight wobble on the primary morning and the way in which they bounced again with bat and ball. Check cricket is all about seizing these huge moments, and though it should be in muscle reminiscence for the gamers, to get throughout the road would certainly be particular, particularly since they’re enjoying their first Check since July.
The victory margin of 188 runs is big, but it surely gained’t inform how a lot India needed to combat for it, particularly on Day 4 when the pitch had flattened out. “That’s Check cricket,” responded Rahul to a query as to how India needed to be affected person in getting the ten Bangladesh wickets within the second innings. “You might be by no means going to get a victory that’s going to be simple. We all know that. We now have performed sufficient Check cricket to know that there will likely be phases the place the opposition additionally performs properly. We have to respect that, and maintain doing our job. I’m very happy with that. All through the Check match our power and depth has been actually excessive, and we have now maintained it all through the day.
All through the final 5 days we have now proven nice dedication in direction of the crew. We haven’t performed Check cricket shortly, so there was some fear coming into the Check match about how the our bodies would react and the way we’d be capable of handle being on the park for therefore lengthy, and keep our focus and depth. We did that actually properly, and that’s pleasing,” Rahul added.
By way of takeaways, particularly with reference to India’s prospects of constructing it to the World Check Championship, the performances of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Shubman Gill could be pleasing to the crew administration. Whereas Kuldeep’s spell within the first innings helped India to bowl Bangladesh out in 55.5 overs, the aggression proven by the batting unit within the second innings, particularly by Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara proved essential because it allowed them ample time to take 10 wickets.
“It gave us a whole lot of time within the Check,” Rahul mentioned about Kuldeep’s five-for within the first innings. “If Bangladesh went on to make 300-350, this sport would have headed for a draw. Sure, we’d have tried making a sport out of it and giving an opportunity for ourselves, however that will have grow to be very arduous. When you bowl a crew out for 150, it offers you a whole lot of time to bat one other 50-60 overs, rating some fast runs and put them to bat once more for 2 days or one thing and that gave our bowlers to get them out,” Rahul mentioned.
One efficiency that will slip underneath the radar is that of Axar’s. As Taijul Islam grew to become Axar’s fourth sufferer within the innings, it took him previous teammate R Ashwin for probably the most wickets by an Indian within the first seven Exams. The all-rounder now has 44 at a mean of 13 and picks up a wicket each 35.3 overs. This was his first Check away from India, however given this was nonetheless circumstances just like what he will get again house, he ensured the crew didn’t miss Ravindra Jadeja. And that in itself ought to make Axar really feel so much at house.
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