Pant, Jaiswal hold steady after Hasan’s early strikes
After pacer Hasan Mahmud gave Bangladesh a dream start with three early wickets, hosts India managed to steady the ship through a 54-run fourth-wicket stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant on Day 1 of the first Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
At lunch, India reached 88 for three in a 23-over session, with Jaiswal unbeaten on 37 and Pant on 33. The Bangladesh pacers made life difficult for India’s right-handers early on, as skipper Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli all edged deliveries from Hasan to the wicketkeeper and slip cordon. However, India regained composure with two left-handers at the crease.
Pant was typically aggressive, punishing any width and taking advantage of short deliveries to pull. He had a close call just before lunch, nicking a Taskin Ahmed delivery, but the ball fell short of the second slip.
Jaiswal, on the other hand, was more circumspect, occasionally using his feet to counter the seam movement and pick gaps in the field. Both batters looked more comfortable once Bangladesh introduced spin in the form of Mehedi Hasan Miraz in the 19th over, after Taskin, Hasan, and Nahid Rana had bowled nearly the entire first 100 minutes.
Bangladesh’s decision to persist with pace early on paid dividends, as Hasan removed Rohit (6 off 19), Gill (0 off 8), and Kohli (6 off 6) within the first hour of play.
