It was a tough opening day of cricket for Bangladesh as they look to cause an upset in their first ever Test match on Indian soil with Virat Kohli leading the charge. Join The Roar for live scores of Day 2 from 3pm (AEDT).
Losing the toss and being forced into the field may have been the death blow for Bangladesh before the match even started, with a slow pitch in Hyderabad providing very little assistance to the bowlers.
While it’s clear the wicket is going to take turn later in the match, it provided next to nothing, even for young spinner Mehedi Hasan and veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan on Day 1, allowing India to rack up a big total.
What was more worrying than the closing 3 for 356 was the run rate India went at in the last hour, with 70 runs being belted from the blade of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane in the last ten overs alone.
Kohli would finish the day not out on 111, while Rahane was on 48 up the other end and will be looking to push on for a big score today.
Bangladesh’s bowlers, who wore out in the heat, had no answers for the Indian captain, who followed up a century from Murali Vijay at the top of the order and 83 for first drop Cheteshwar Pujara.
The only bright spot was opening bowler Taskin Ahmed removing Lokesh Rahul in the first over of the day, but with three big partnerships following the hosts are in a commanding position.
Their spinners, led by the youngster Hasan, simply couldn’t make anything happen, whether that was taking wickets or reducing the run flow and it ended as a dominant day for the hosts.
It follows up ridiculously good form in the longest format of the game against New Zealand and England, and with the Indian side building for a home series against Australia, it’s hard to see a way they will be beaten at home.
While it was a disappointing day for the Tigers, the match isn’t over yet and they must come out with a renewed intensity – something that was severely lacking at the end of the first day – on Day 2.
Day 2 Prediction
It’s extremely difficult to see India squandering such a good position. They hold the upper hand and could easily build a score of 700 batting through to after tea before putting in a vulnerable Tigers.
The wickets simply don’t look like coming for the tourists, and while that may worry India in terms of being able to take 20 themselves, their best bet is to grind Bangladesh into the dirt and then take wickets through fatigue.
Of course, their bowlers, led by Ravichandran Ashwin are a class above and may well show the pitch to have plenty in it.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of the second day’s play from 3pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add your own comments.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde
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