BAN vs IND 2022-23, 2nd Test: Umesh, Ashwin put India in driver's seat on Day 1; bowl out hosts for 227
On Day 1 of the second Test between Bangladesh and India at Mirpur, the hosts were bowled out for 227, while at stumps the visitors were at 19 for no loss.
FollowOn the first day of the second Test at Mirpur on Thursday, India was in total control as Bangladesh were bowled out for a subpar 227 thanks to Umesh Yadav's sharp old ball spells and Ravichandran Ashwin's controlled effort.
India had reached 19 for no loss at the time of stumps, with Shubman Gill and captain KL Rahul both scoring three runs off of thirty balls (14 batting, 20 balls).
The decision to bench Kuldeep Yadav, the player of the match in the previous Test, appears to have been a contentious one because some of the balls produced by the Bangladeshi spinners were going square.
On a day when Jaydev Unadkat's (2/50 in 16 overs) return to the Test fold after 12 long years did spark some discussion about some selection decisions made by this team management, Umesh (4/25 in 15 overs) led the Indian pace attack bravely as Ashwin (4/71 in 21.5 overs) closed in on a career haul of 450 wickets (447 currently).
However, Unadkat could term himself lucky as last game's hero Kuldeep (8 wickets and 40 runs) was unceremoniously dumped by the team management comprising the two Rahuls -- head coach Dravid and skipper Kannaur Lokesh (KL).Â
Rahul, the captain, described the surface as perplexing during the toss, which led them to select Unadkat as a second seam bowler.
The plan didn't backfire mostly as a result of the poor calibre of Bangladesh's batting order. The lone batsman who displayed outstanding patience for more than four hours was former captain Mominul Haque (84, 157 balls), although he rarely had any help from the other end. In addition to adding 39 runs for the first wicket, Zakir Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto also managed to end the morning bowling of Umesh and Mohammed Siraj (0/39 in 9 overs).
When the ball bounced a bit more and was caught in the slips, Unadkat made the first breakthrough. However, when he came around the wicket and aimed one into the batsman, the Saurashtra player delivered a better delivery to get the stolid Mushfiqur Rahim.
The ball entirely squared up Rahim after pitching and straightened up enough. Unadkat, who made his Test debut against South Africa in December 2010 at Centurion, makes a comeback to the format after a 12-year absence. He missed 118 games in total, the most by an Indian and the second-most in all of cricket.
However, Umesh, who frequently pitched the ball up, was India's most impressive bowler. It was encouraging to see that in addition to his go-to shot, the outswinger, he had also perfected a strong inswinger, which he utilised to dismiss Nurul Hasan.
By bowling a probing channel, he also helped Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz secure significant wickets, while the slowness of the wicket took care of the rest. Litton Das (25 off 26 balls) produced an aggressive inning with two boundaries and a six, but he was unable to build on his success as he misplayed a full Ashwin delivery straight to the captain, KL Rahul.
But, Mominul kept his calm and went about his business in a quiet fashion, hitting 12 fours and a six in the process. It was Ashwin who removed Mominul at the fag end of the day when he shaped for an expansive drive and then decided to check his stroke, but the ball kissed his gloves into Rishabh Pant's gloves.
(With inputs from PTI)
