IND vs BAN: 2nd Test – Ishant fifer, pacers headline eventful Day 1
The opening day of India’s first-ever day-night Test witnessed plenty of drama from both sides. While Bangladesh folded like a pack of cards, India’s pace unit, the best there has been in the last few years, enjoyed tremendous returns with the pink ball. But one man stood tall, quite literally, with his exemplary bowling. That man was Ishant Sharma.
Check out the full scorecard here
Ishant ends a 12-year wait
If you’re an Indian cricket fan desperate to see India’s fast bowlers rule the roost in home conditions, there hasn’t been a better time. Even without the dangerous Jasprit Bumrah, the pace trio of Ishant-Umesh-Shami has become a force to reckon with. It hasn’t been easy. Ishant Sharma, for one, would know the pain of not having a five-wicket haul to his name in 12 years at home. The wait ended today. With the pink ball, playing a day-night Test match in front of a packed Eden Gardens crowd, Ishant became the first Indian to claim a fifer with the pink ball. Bangladesh’s top order was hopeless, to say the least, with as many as three batsmen returning ducks and the only resistance coming from opener Shadman Islam.
This, despite winning the toss and electing to bat first on a pitch that had no visible demons. There was a certain amount of bounce on offer but the shots were there for the taking. Bangladesh surely missed a trick with a subpar total of 106 in their first innings.
Nonetheless, this was a momentous occasion for India’s speed guns, who picked all the 10 Bangladeshi wickets. But not before dealing severe blows to a couple of players (Liton Das and Nayeem Hasan have been replaced by Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan as concussion substitutes).
This is only the 4th time Indian pacers have taken all 10 wickets in an innings at home. The last time was 2017 vs SL at Eden again and before that, we need to travel 36 years back to 1983 vs WI in Ahmedabad and 1981 vs Eng at Mumbai. ( @UPStatsman confirms ) #IndvsBan
— jigar mehta (@jigsactin) November 22, 2019
Kohli, Pujara make merry under lights
India started positively with Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal getting off the mark in their trademark styles. But Mayank (14) departed before tea and Rohit (21) immediately after as pacers Al-Amin Hossain and Ebadot Hossain showed up. The resurrection was then down to Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli, who brought up their respective half-centuries in the final session. Ebadot, in the middle of nudging spell, got a settled Pujara (55) to nick one to the slips. Kohli (59*) carried on with his deputy, Ajinkya Rahane (23*), denying any further wickets to the visitors. India lead by 68 runs at stumps.
