IND vs. BDESH 2024/25, IND vs. BAN 1st Test Match Report, 19 – 23 September 2024

Bangladesh 149 and 158 for 4 (Shanto 51*, Ashwin 3-63) need 357 runs to bat India 376 and 287 for 4 Dec. (Gill 119*, Pant 109)

Given these conditions, Gill and Pant, both aggressive batsmen with a penchant for counter-attacking, realised that only they could take themselves out of the game and put their heads down for big shots. They continued to respect good balls and, once in, jumped out of the pitch to hit sixes. Gill hit Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who bowled 25 of India's 64 overs in the second innings, for four of them to take his tally to 28 sixes in his 26th Test. Pant took a liking to the left-arm spin of Shakib Al Hasan and hit four sixes himself, taking his tally to 59 in just 34 Tests, the seventh-highest for India. India have now hit 85 sixes in 2024, putting them just five away from breaking the record for most sixes by a team in a calendar year.

What the duo did outside the sixes was more impressive. Unlike Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma, who simply tried to impose their bowling on the second evening, these two started the day respecting the bowling and were content to defend for a while, not bothering about the edges and the close fielders. It was not until the seventh over of the day that someone tried to force the issue and Gill did so beautifully with the two sixes over wide long-on.

After lunch, Pant took his trademark flick behind square from both the quicks and spinners, reaching his hundred in just 118 balls. Gill took a more leisurely approach, in 161 balls, and KL Rahul played a couple of top-notch inside-out drives before the declaration gave Bangladesh an hour to bat before tea.

Zakir Hasan came out full of determination, driving both on the front and back foot and sending Mohammed Siraj off for six. With the ball not doing much, he and Shadman Islam stayed in search of runs and punished every error down the length.

However, when Ashwin came on the field, he started to play mischief, hitting the back of the bat here and the inside edge there. After tea, he and Jasprit Bumrah kept things tight for three overs. In the fourth, Zakar played an ambitious drive to a ball that was nowhere near full enough and Jaiswal ended his innings with a sensational catch deep to his left and behind him in the gully.

The conditions meant that Ashwin had to work hard for his wickets. He even conceded four sixes; the most he has ever conceded in an innings is five. However, he continued to battle through, often slowing his pace to get support from the surface. His first wicket did not come as he had hoped, as Shadman backed up and tried to play a length ball behind square. It was not short enough, and he needed his leading edge for a low catch to Gill at short midwicket.

Ashwin then delivered a great ball to get rid of Mominul Haque, who never coped well. The drift got him playing the line and the turn was just enough to miss the edge but not the off stump. Mushfiqur Rahim was like a cat on a struck tin roof, sweeping Ashwin away for a six before hitting one deep to Rahul at mid-on. Shakib Al Hasan was even less composed but was saved by bad light that ended the game early. Amidst all this, captain Najmul batted calmly but quickly, finishing the day with 51 off 60.