Ravichandran Ashwin notched up his 6th Test century on Day 1 of the first Test series against Bangladesh. The all-rounder took just 108 balls to reach this milestone.
The match was a series opener and things were not going well for India. Despite such grim circumstances, Ashwin created history at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium by scoring the 6th test century of his career.
India vs Bangladesh: Match highlights
Ashwin’s score included 10 boundaries and 2 sixes, leaving Bangladesh’s bowlers scrambling as they struggled to contain him and Ravindra Jadeja.
His century came to the rescue when India was in a precarious situation, having fallen to 144/6 after a top-order collapse.
The collapse was disappointing with Rohit Sharma (6), Shubman Gill (0), and Virat Kohli (6) shockingly dismissed early.
However, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s solid 56 gave some hope.
But again, Rishabh Pant (39) and KL Rahul (16) soon walked back to the pavilion, leaving India in a tough spot.
It was then that Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took charge, putting together a counter-attacking partnership that steadied the innings and brought hope back.
Earlier, Jaiswal’s composed 56 off 118 balls, with nine boundaries, was the highlight of India’s top order, which struggled under pressure.
By tea, India had stumbled to 176 for 6, with Hasan Mahmud taking 4/35 and leading Bangladesh’s charge.
The Indian batting performance was puzzling, as neither the pitch nor the Bangladeshi bowlers posed significant threats. It looked like a consequence of a lack of concentration on our batting side.
Jaiswal and Pant had added a promising 62-run partnership off 99 balls for the fourth wicket, but Pant threw his wicket away with a careless shot outside off-stump, giving a simple catch to keeper Litton Das.
Jaiswal, who looked the most assured among the batters, reached his 50 off 95 balls but lost focus and edged a drive off Nahid Rana to Shadman Islam at slip.
KL Rahul soon followed, falling to Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 16, as India found itself in deep trouble. It was Ashwin and Jadeja who finally stepped in to stop the slide, restoring some stability to the innings.
Bits From Ashwin’s Masterclass
In this unusual match, India‘s promising batsmen failed to shine. Although, upcoming players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ashwin batted India out of trouble.
Ashwin was undoubtedly in the form of his life. On his knock, Ashwin said, “It’s a typical Chennai pitch with some bounce and carry.
The red soil lets you play your shots if you get your eye in and take advantage of any width.”
He added, “I’ve always been guilty of chasing balls outside off-stump, but I’ve worked on a few things. On a spicy pitch like this, if you’re going after the ball, you might as well go hard, like Rishabh does.”
Ashwin is an incredible test bowler too. He has 516 wickets to his name.
However, overall, this wasn’t a great start for Team India.
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