India complete a clinical win over Bangladesh by Jinu Sabastian

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Ground:	Chittagong Divisional Stadium, Chittagong
Scorecard:	Bangladesh v India
Player:	Tamim Iqbal, I Sharma, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Z Khan
Event:	India in Bangladesh 2009/10

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DateLine: 21st January 2010

 

It was just a matter of time for India to wipe out the remaining Bangladeshi wickets to take lead in the Test series. The Indian pace duo, Zaheer and Ishant, ripped apart the Bangladeshi top order before Mishra worked his way through the lower order. Bangladesh began the day in the hope that they could save the Test but the Indian pacers kept the pressure and intensity as the Bangladeshi batsmen wilted under pressure. In the end it was all too easy for the rampaging Indian side.

 

The play for the day had a delayed start due to poor visibility factor and once the play got underway it was evident that survival was the only option available. Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful were troubled early on by the Indian pacers Zaheer and Ishant. Tamim Iqbal played loose shot in second over but survived and he put his head down to play a patient knock meanwhile Ashraful was in no mood to play defensively. He went in the aggressive mode and finally had to pay the price. Ishant Sharma was soon getting back into a perfect rhythm and soon his dreaded off-cutter that troubled Ponting was back. Ashraful (27, 32 balls, 5x4) was squared up up a well-directed off-cutter which he edged to the slips where an alert Dravid took a good catch. Raqibul Hasan (13, 30 balls, 2x4) played sensibly as he showed a sound judgment of his off-stump but his stay was terminated when another off-cutter from Ishant Sharma trapped him leg before as Bangladesh slipped to 94 for 4.

 

Tamim Iqbal was joined in the middle by his skipper Shakib al Hasan and the two left-handers played for the approaching lunch. Suddenly Tamim Iqbal began to play some audacious shots including a reverse sweep to bring up his fifty and that audacity brought about his downfall. With just a couple of overs to go for the lunch Sehwag brought himself on and that yielded another wicket for the Indians. Tamim Iqbal (52, 122 balls, 6x4) had restrained himself from launching into his trademark explosive cover-drives finally succumbed to the bait of Sehwag and the left-hander's amitious shot cost him his wicket which he edged to Dravid at slip. Post-lunch Shakib (17, 47 balls, 2x4) played a defensive shot with hard hands and that popped up a simple catch to Sehwag at silly point of Mishra who had looked quite innocuous.

 

India's third seamer Sreesanth struggled for his rhythm and pace and his no-ball issue continued to plague him in the second innings as well. He could not find any swing in the air as well as any seam movement off the pitch as he was well negotiated by the Bangladeshi batsmen. Mahmudullah (20, 25 balls, 4x5) was engaged in a battle with Zaheer Khan and the pacer repeatedly bounced the batsmen who was unafraid to play the pull and hook shot. Finally an innocuous delivery which was short and wide outside the off-stump from Zaheer ended Mahmudullah's innings as the hosts slipped. Shahadat Hossain (24, 30 balls, 5x4) entertained the crowd with some lusty blows before a googly from Mishra ended his stay in the middle. Mishra soon added another scalp to his wickets tally when he took a low catch of Shafiul Islam (8, 11 balls, 1x6).

 

Mushfiqur Rahim (101, 117 balls, 17x4, 1x6) batted with lot of grit and style as he farmed the lower order expertly to score his maiden century.