New Delhi: Local boy Ravichandran Ashwin’s sixth Test century in a record seventh partnership with Ravindra Jadeja revived India from a perilous position on the opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh on Thursday.
At stumps, Ashwin’s unbeaten 102 and Jadeja’s 86 not out in 195-run unbroken stand pulled to 339/6 in 80 overs, which was achieved after 30 hours of extra play to make up for Bangladesh’s slow over rate.
Sent into bat under overcast conditions of the Chepauk Stadium, India slumped to 34/3 and 144/6 until Ashwin and Jadeja took charge of the proceedings to pull the hosts to a safe spot.
Record partnership
Their stand was the highest for the seventh wicket or below for India against Bangladesh in Tests, overtaking 133 between Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan for the 10th wicket in Dhaka in 2004.
It is also the highest seventh-wicket partnership at the Chepauk. Ashwin and Jadeja added 100 or more runs together for the second time in their careers, after their 130-run stand against Sri Lanka.
Mahmud troubles India
In the morning session Hasan Mahmud wrecked India’s top order with probing line and lenght and assistance from the pitch as skipper Rohit Sharma (6), Shubman Gill (0) and Virat Kohli (6) all were undone by swinging deliveries.
Rohit was sqaured up as he edged to first slip, Gill tickled a ball down the leg side and Kohli edged to the keeper to leave India reeling at 34/3 in the 10th over.
Havinf meandered to 88/3 at lunch and lost three more wickets post it as Rishabh Pant (39), opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (56), after putting together a 62-run partnership departed as did KL Rahul (16) to put Bangaldesh on top.
But Ashwin took over from 144/6 after coming into bat in the 43rd over, batting sensibly yet aggressively to reach his sixth century in 108 balls with 12 boundaries.
Jadeja proved to be his able ally, as he like Ashwin hit 10 boundaries and two sixes to be unbeaten on 86 and lift India to a relative safety zone.
Brief Scores:
India: 339 for six in 80 overs (Ravichandran Ashwin 102 batting, Ravindra Jadeja 86 batting, Yashasvi Jaiswal 56; Hasan Mahmud 4/58)
R Ashwin scored his sixth century as India recovered from early hiccups to end day one at 339 for six against Bangladesh in the opening Test of the two-match series in Chennai on Thursday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
