New Delhi: R Ashwin capped off a memorable all-round outing at his home ground with a six-wicket haul as India thrashed Bangladesh by 280 runs in the 1st Test between the two sides at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, September 22. Ashwin’s spin wizardry proved too hot to handle for the Bangladesh batters, who fell like a pack of cards in their second innings on Day 4 to hand India a thumping win.
Resuming their pursuit of a mammoth target of 515 runs from their overnight score of 158/4 on Day 4, Bangladesh were skittled out for 234 runs in the first session after Ashwin ran riot. The veteran Indian off-spinner bagged his 37th Test fifer and finished with figures of 6/88 in Bangladesh’s second innings to power India to a commanding victory.
Ashwin was well supported by his spin partner Ravindra Jadeja, who picked up three wickets. Ashwin and Jadeja played a key role in India’s triumph in Chennai with a memorable all-round show. While Ashwin scored 113 runs and followed it up with six wickets, Jadeja played a brilliant knock of 86 runs in India’s first innings and bagged 5 wickets in the game.
Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill also made significant contributions with the bat in India’s victory as the dup slammed centuries apiece in the hosts’ second innings. Gill hammered an unbeaten 119 while Pant shone on his return with a magnificent 109-run knock in India’s second innings. The duo shared a 197-run stand between them to help India post 287/4 (declared) in the 2nd innings and set up a huge target of 515 runs for the visitors.
Talking points from India’s massive win against Bangladesh:
1) Ashwin, Jadeja shine
When the chips were down for India at 144/6 in their first innings, Ashwin and Jadeja combined to stage a phenomenal rescue act with a partnership for the ages. While Ashwin notched up his 6th Test ton en route to a brilliant knock of 113 runs, Jadeja slammed a fantastic knock of 86 runs. The duo shared a 199-run stand for the 7th wicket to lift India from 144/6 to 376 runs in their first inning.
The duo followed it up with dazzling performances with the ball to help India wrap up a comprehensive victory. Ashwin went wicket-less during the visitors’ first innings but bounced back with a 6-wicket haul in the second to equal Shane Warne’s record for the 2nd most fifers in Test history. Jadeja too finished with a total of 5 wickets in the game.
The duo picked up nine wickets between them in Bangladesh’s second innings to skittle them out for 234 runs in their 515-run chase in the 2nd innings. Ashwin became the first player to achieve the feat of taking a fifer and scoring a hundred in a Test match twice at the same venue.
2) Rishabh Pant makes roaring comeback
Pant made a sensational comeback to Test cricket for India after nearly 20 months with an emotional hundred at the Chepauk. The left-hander, who has been a force to reckon with in the longest format, once again proved why he belongs at the Test level with a magnificent knock of 109 runs in India’s 2nd innings.
Pant slammed his sixth Test ton on his comeback to Test cricket after recovering from injuries he sustained in a horrific car crash in December 2022. Continuing in his usual swashbuckling approach, Pant put the Bangladesh spinners to the sword during his fabulous knock and was involved in a brilliant 167-run stand with fellow centurion Shubman Gill.
3) Shubman Gill shuts down his critics
Shubman Gill shut down his critics in style with a phenomenal knock in India’s second innings of the Chennai Test after getting out cheaply in the first innings. Gill, who fell for a duck in the first innings, bounced back with a sublime knock of an unbeaten 119 runs in the second innings. The prolific right-hander notched up his sixth ton in his Test career.
Gill was part of a magnificent 167-run stand with Pant and played a key role in helping India extend their lead past the 500-run mark to set a mammoth target for Bangladesh in their second innings. Gill now has five centuries in the World Test Championship and is only behind Rohit Sharma on the list of Indian batters with the most centuries in the competition.
4) Rohit, Kohli flop
It was a commanding victory for India in the series opener in Chennai with several players stepping up under pressure to play their part in the victory. However, India would be concerned about the form of skipper Rohit Sharma and senior batter Virat Kohli. Both Kohli and Rohit failed to get going in the Chennai Test and looked far from their best.
The lack of match practice was quite evident as Rohit was dismissed cheaply on 6 runs in the first innings and could only score 5 runs in the 2nd. Kohli, meanwhile, returned with scores of 6 and 17 runs in the two innings, respectively. Kohli was even spotted hitting the nets midway through Day 3’s play in Chennai. Both the batters will be hoping to get back among the runs in the 2nd Test in Kanpur starting September 27.
India rode on all-round heroics from R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and some terrific batting from Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant to thrash Bangladesh by 280 runs in the 1st Test in Chennai. Here are the major talking points from the game. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
