It was quite an unfamiliar setting in Chennai. A thick cover of clouds greeted India and Bangladesh on the opening day of the Test series. The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium had an unusual tinge of green as well. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto became the first in 42 years to win the toss and opt to bowl in the South Indian city. And a Bangladesh pacer ran riot in the first two sessions, making good use of the ‘London-like conditions’ in Chennai.
The day of unfamiliar occurrences ended with a familiar rescue act from India’s reliable all-rounders — R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. India went from 144 for 6 to finish the opening day’s play at 339 for 6 as Ashwin and Jadeja frustrated the Bangladesh bowlers, dampening their hopes of bowling India out cheaply in the first innings. The duo added a 100-plus stand for the second time together, taking the seventh-wicket partnership to an unbeaten 195 (227 deliveries) when the play came to a close after 30 minutes of added time.
IND v BAN, Chennai Test: Day 1 Highlights
Hometown hero R Ashwin was the star of India’s recovery as he thrilled the local crowd on Thursday, hitting his sixth Test hundred. Ashwin got to his second Test hundred at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in just 108 balls as he was at his confident best from the word go, counter-attacking the Bangladesh bowlers.
Ashwin became only the second Indian batter after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar to hit hundreds in successive Test matches at the iconic venue in Chennai.
Ashwin thrilled the local crowd as fans, across all age groups, were hooting and clapping when the off-spinner effortlessly hit big ones. The second-ranked all-rounder hit 10 boundaries and two sixes, continuing from where he left in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.
On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja was happy to take a back seat and allow his spin twin to dominate the proceedings. However, Jadeja did not miss out on an opportunity to put the loose balls away, getting close to another fighting hundred in his decorated Test career. Jadeja remained unbeaten on xx after having orchestrated another memorable rescue act.
More to follow…
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