Chennai: India’s spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja did not get the ball in hand on the opening day of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh here on Thursday. But they let their bat do the talking in quite emphatic style as the senior pros pulled Team India out of a deep crisis and put them in a position of strength by close of play.
In a dazzling display of batsmanship on a pitch assisting the quick bowlers, Ashwin and Jadeja launched a counter-attack to stitch together an unbroken 195-run partnership and carry India to 339/6, when even a total of 200 looked improbable at one stage.
Ashwin galloped to his sixth Test century off just 108 deliveries, and remained unbeaten on 102 (112 balls, 10×4, 2×6). Jadeja ended the day on 86 (117 balls, 10×4, 2×6), to be within three hits of a possible fifth Test hundred.
The seventh-wicket pair’s heroics were a far cry from what was witnessed earlier in the day at M A Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk.
Having been asked to bat first after visiting skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss in bowling-friendly conditions, India tottered at 34/3 after losing the wickets of Rohit Sharma (6), Shubman Gill (0) and Virat Kohli (6) within the first hour of play. With the sky being overcast, and the pitch offering seam movement as well as some bounce, India’s experienced batters failed to cope with the brilliance of young fast bowler Hasan Mahmud, who took the first 4 wickets.
The consistent Yashasvi Jaiswal (56) and Rishabh Pant (39), who returned to Test cricket after 369 days, steadied the innings with a 62-run partnership.
But when Jaiswal and KL Rahul (16) fell in back-to-back overs around 35 minutes before tea, India were at a precarious 144/6.
Then came the partnership that may have already changed the course of this match.
Right-hander Ashwin looked more fluent from the start, attacking the spinners and disturbing the rhythm of pace bowlers as well with some superb drives.
Jadeja was more circumspect in the first half of his knock, but opened out once left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan was introduced, quite late, into the attack.
The most remarkable aspect of their collaboration was the rate at which they scored. Despite the team being in trouble with the top six batters back in the hut, Ashwin and Jadeja added 195 runs in 37.4 overs – scoring at over 5 runs per over.
Brief Scores:
India 339/6 in 80 overs (R Ashwin 102*, Ravindra Jadeja 86*, Yashasvi Jaiswal 56; Hasan Mahmud 4/58).
1st Test vs Bangladesh to continue on Day 2.
