BAN vs IND 2022-23: India toiled but eventually edged past Bangladesh by three wickets in the final Dhaka Test on Day 4 on Sunday. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin admitted that the visitors did make it hard when it could have been easy.
It was the most brutal win ever for India against Bangladesh, as it had to toil to script a three-wicket win in the third and final Test at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Day 4 on Sunday. While the Bangladeshi spinners made life difficult for the Indians, Ravichandran Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer played smart cricket eventually to hand their side a three-wicket win, their narrowest against the former. While the hosts remain winless against India in the format, Ashwin, who was adjudged Man of the Match, did admit that the Indians did make things hard when it could have been handled smartly.
"We didn't have much batting left. It was one of those games where we let the game drift whenever we could have shut it off. Shreyas batted beautifully. Sometimes, in these situations, you feel like you have to get ahead of things, they bowled good lines, and I felt that we didn't trust our defences enough. I loved the way Shreyas batted. The pitches are quite good here. But I thought the ball got soft quickly. Credit to Bangladesh. They put us under real pressure at certain moments," said Ashwin following the triumph.
Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara won the Man of the Series award and noted, "It's been a tremendous competitive series. I have been working hard on my game. I played a lot of First-Class cricket and then performed a lot in my game. That's what helped me score these runs. Sometimes, there is enough gap between Test matches, which enables you to prepare. Playing First-class cricket is vital for improvement. You need to be mentally prepared, and if you are strong mentally and prepare well, you'll be good."
Winning captain KL Rahul was delighted with his maiden series win as Test skipper and commented, "You trust the guys in the middle. We've played enough cricket to realise that someone will put their hand up to win us the game. But, I'm not going to lie, there was a lot of tension in the dressing room."
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"It was a tricky wicket to bat on. They [Bangladesh] put us under pressure in both innings. It was a new-ball surface to some extent. Once the ball got softer, it was easier to score runs. It was a matter of who played the new ball better. We did lose a few more wickets than ideal [in the chase], but we got the job done. I will take the win. That [bowling attack] has been the case for many years. We have done the job wherever we've gone overseas in recent years," added Rahul.
However, losing skipper Shakib Al Hasan was contained with his side's performance and remarked, "Everyone contributed. We always knew that we had a chance in Mirpur. Excellent Test cricket. That's what the crowds love to see. Both teams were outstanding. Credit goes to Shreyas and Ashwin. They absorbed the pressure well and built a partnership."
"We had 70-odd runs to play with. We just needed one wicket. We can think of several ifs and buts, but I'm proud of how we fought. That [all-round aptitude] is my job. Unfortunately, I couldn't bowl much in the last game. We had our moments this year, but hopefully, next year will be much better for Bangladesh," concluded Shakib.