India took just a session on the final day to take the remaining four Bangladesh wickets and win the first Test in Chittagong by 188 runs, leading 1-0 in the two-match series.
Around three-fourth of the work had been done on the penultimate day of the Test itself. And on the final day, left-arm spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel along with pacer Mohammed Siraj shared those remaining wickets as Bangladesh, resuming on 272 for six, were all out for 324.
The Indian bowlers faced just a little bit of resistance from rival captain Shakib-al Hasan (84), who looked good for a hundred before Kuldeep knocked him over. Kuldeep, in his first Test after 22 months, finished with match figures of 8 for 113 and was adjudged Man of the Match.
“There was not much in the wicket for the spinners and Ash (Ravichandran Ashwin) also felt that. But Kuldeep brought in a different variety and that is why we played him on a pitch like this,” stand-in captain KL Rahul said at the post-match news conference.
Also, courtesy this victory and South Africa losing to Australia in Brisbane, India moved up to second on the current World Test Championship standings, with only Pat Cummins and Co. ahead of them. India gained valuable 12 points following the win and hold a 55.77 win percentage, while that of the Proteas has slipped to 54.55.
For Rahul, it’s a collective effort that stood out for India in this Test. The culture of the team is about collective needs and not individuals, Rahul emphasised.
“Whether you have played 50 Test matches or you are playing your first or second match, it is the same.
“They don’t matter. What matters is a collective effort,” Rahul said.
Bundling Bangladesh out for 150 in their first innings set up the match for India, Rahul pointed out. “That gave us a lot of time to try and win the match.
“Had Bangladesh got 350 in the first innings, the match could have headed for a draw,” he said, adding: “In Test cricket, you are not going to get an easy win.
“We knew that and we have played enough Test cricket to understand that at times the opposition is going to play better and we need to respect that. But we have to keep doing our job.
“Also, I’m very proud that throughout the five days, we showed commitment and intensity.”
Rohit’s fitness
Whether regular captain Rohit Sharma will return for the second and final Test, which begins on Thursday in Mirpur, can be known only in a day or two, Rahul stated.
“About Rohit, we may be able to know his status in the next day or two,” he said.
