Ravichandran Ashwin post-game talking to Mukund, Parthiv and Tamim Iqbal: I can't really commenton what sort of impact I have had on this Test match. I had huge shoes to fill, I came in to replaceHarbhajan, I used to replicate his action in junior cricket, he was an inspiration to me. Constantlypeoplehave doubted if I could deliver in red-ball as I came from IPL, lots of people have come and helped me. Once upon a time this groundwas concreteblocks and my first experience was watching from Mac B stand, watching Sachin Tendulkar. One dayI wanted to be on this particularground and play. My first IPL contract was given here, some energy pulls me into this ground, I don't knowhow much longer but I love coming back here. I don't want to go thinking I want to get a 100, I want to get a fifer though. You have to sequenceit as a bowler whereas as a batter it's about trusting your game but compartmentalising it has made it easier. [on how he bowled on this pitch] Pace was critical, I was earningmy right to bowl slower, thisis a surface where one which was reacting was when yougo slower. But if you bowl a lot slower, there is time to play you off the back foot. I embrace pressure, I really enjoy being under pressure, I'm thinking like a bowler when I go in tobat. If there's a bowler who is at the backend of the spell, I let it go but otherwiseI play shots and transfer the pressure. [if he knew this was his fastest 100] That I figured out as it was coming at a rapid pace. Generally here when you hit the ball it doesn't travel faster, but this was a different pitch, felt like back in the 2010s, what helped was the preparation I put in while playing TNPL. I had a good preparatory camp before TNPL and also had a good finish in the TNPL. That helped me here. [on his competition with Jadeja] There might have been competition in the past, the last 4-5 years, you can call it maturity or age or getting old, there is a lot of understanding on what kind of bowling you need to do on a certain day. He is one of the best batters in the Indian team, maybe even in the world, he is a trusted batter, Jadeja walking out gives a lot of calmnessto the team. He helped me a lot through my innings. He told me, looks like you are batting really well, you need to buckle down like you are facing your first 10 balls, talking about leaving a few more balls. That partnership comes with experience and batting a lot together. [on his dad] He has taken a step back now, he used to kickme out of the house and ask me to play, now he embraces me at home. For me it's about enjoying the game now, the reasons I play the game has changed over the last 5 years, quite an influencemy wife has had on me.
Curtains down on this Chennai Test which doled out a good sporting deck. It was conducive for the pacers on the first two days as Hasan Mahmud and Bumrah picked a fifer and four-for respectively. It wasn't a belter but we witnessed three tons - Ashwin, Pant and Gill. Later, there was more purchase for the spinners in the final innings and Ashwin - who went wicketless in the first essay - picked up his 37th Test fifer. Bangladesh were on a high coming to India on the back of a historic Test series win in Pakistan but they've been thrashed here despite starting on a good note. Can they recover from this loss and come up with a better batting performance? The Kanpur Test commences on Friday. See you there. Until then, goodbye...
Stats by Deepu Narayanan
Most wickets in fourth innings for India
99 R Ashwin
94 Anil Kumble
60 Bishan Bedi
54 Ishant Sharma/ Ravindra Jadeja
Tests taken by each team to have W/L ratio > 1 for the maiden time
1 Australia
3 Afghanistan
16 Pakistan
23 England
99 West Indies
340 South Africa
580 India
New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, & Ireland are yet to achieve the feat.
India in Tests
Mat: 580
Won: 179 *
Lost: 178
Draw: 222
Tied: 1
For the first time in their 92-year old Test cricket history, India have more wins than defeats.
Ravichandran Ashwin | Player of the Match: Every time I play in Chennai in front of this crowd, it's an amazing feeling for me. I have watched a lot of Test cricket and international cricket sitting in those stands. To play in front of those stands, it's a beautifully renovated stadium now, that itself is a special feeling for me. I am probably enjoying my game because of what I am doing and not because of what I want to get out of it. It was an opportunity to fight and dig in deep, that's one of the reasons why we all play the game. I have seen so many of my team-mates do that in the past. I just kept it really simple, have to thank Jadeja for what he did, he just took me through the tough phases of the innings. Quite a special knock on the first day, didn't sink in until day two. Glad I ended up with a few wickets today as well. I make a living by bowling, so bowling comes first all the time. I think like a bowler mostly but I have made a conscious effort to think like a batter when I walk out with a bat in my hand. Batting is something that comes naturally but yet I have struggled sometimes with my thought getting ahead of myself. I have tried to manage it. Over the last few years, I have managed to compartmentalize both, but it is a work in process.
Rohit Sharma: It was a great result looking at what lies ahead for us. We are playing after a long time, but you are never out of cricket. We came here a week before, we had a good lead up to the Test match and we got the result that we wanted. (On Pant's hundred) He's been through some really tough times. The way he has managed himself through those tough times was superb to watch. He came back in the IPL, followed by a very successful World Cup and this is the format he loves the most. For us, it was never about what is he going to do with the bat, we always knew what he had with the bat and with the gloves as well. It was just about giving him the game time. Credit to him as well, he went on to play Duleep Trophy and got ready for this Test match and had an impact straightaway in the game. No matter what the conditions are, whether we play in India, whether we play outside, we want to build the team around that (strong bowling). Whatever the condition has to offer, we got to be ready for it. In the last few years, wherever we have played, we have managed to have that in our armoury, whether it is seam bowling options or spin bowling options. You have to give credit to the guys, whenever there is a responsibility, they never shy away from it and they want to put their hand up and get the job done for the team. The red soil pitch always has something to offer. You need to have a little bit of patience as well. You don't see much happening straightaway. This was a pitch where we had to show a lot of patience whether we bat or bowl. We were patient enough with the bat to get those big runs and then with the ball as well we were patient enough to hit the right areas and put them under pressure consistently. (On Ashwin) He's next in line to talk to you, he's the right man to answer what he does. Every time we look up to him, he's always there for us whether with the bat or ball. I don't know if I speak here, it'll be enough of what he does for this team. Every time we see him come out and do the job, it's always so brilliant. He's never out of the game. The last competitive cricket he played was IPL and then he had some fun playing TNPL. We watched him bat up the order and that's what helped him as well to bat the way he did.
Najmul Hossain Shanto: The positive thing is the way Hasan, Taskin and Rana bowled in the first 2-3 hours, really impressive. After that, they (India) batted really well. Seaming option - everyone contributed. The way we bowled with the new ball, it's impressive. The last couple of series we have bowled really well but we have to continue that. As a batter, I always try to contribute. I enjoy my batting. Just try to bat as long as we can without thinking about the outcome, just try to follow our process and play with our strength that's what we wanted to do. Bowlers did a great job, I hope the batters will do something special.
Rishabh Pant: Definition a lot special, firstly I love playing in Chennai and secondly after injury I was looking to play all three formats, this was my first match in this format and hopefully I did better. Definitely it was emotional, I was looking to score runs in each and every game. Coming back to Test cricket where I belong the most, being on the field gives me pleasure more than anything else. I don't know what people say outside, I tried to read the situation in my own way, when you are 30-3 you need to stitch a partnership and that's what I did with Gill. To do it with a guy who I have a great relationship with is special.
Shanto and Shakib, the overnight batsmen, showed a bit of resistance in the first hour and remained unscathed today morning. But the local lad came into the attack after the drinks break and made light work of Bangladesh. The tourists slipped from 205/5 to 234/10 with the two spinners ruling the roost. Captain Shanto top-scored with 82 and batted superbly against the spinners but he was fighting a lone battle. While Jadeja picked three wickets, Ashwin finished with a six-for in addition to his century on the opening day. India out-batted, out-bowled and out-fielded their opponents to take a 1-0 lead in the 2-match series. Stick around for the presentations...
11:17 Local Time, 05:47 GMT, 11:17 IST: The spin twins do it for India once again. All smiles in the Indian camp as they notch up a comprehensive win. Inserted to bat, India were in spot of bother at 144/6 on a seam-friendly deck. That's when Ashwin walked in to bat. He batted positively and fluently, recorded his 6th Test ton and forged a crucial 199-run stand with Jadeja as India posted 376 on the board. Post that, Bangladesh were skittled out for 149 in 1.5 sessions with the fifty partnership betweenShakib and Litton being the only highlight of their batting. India didn't enforce the follow-on, centuries from Pant and Gill resulted in India setting Bangladesh a mammoth target in excess of 500. The visitors got off to a decent start with their openers being involved in a half-century partnership. They lost four wickets in the final session yesterday and were staring down the barrel.
62.1
Jadeja to Hasan Mahmud, out Bowled!! Jadeja finishes things off. A length delivery and quicker on leg-stump, Hasan Mahmud looks for a big slogsweep and misses, the ball hits timber and India go 1-0 up. All smiles in the Indian camp. Hasan Mahmud b Jadeja 7(14) [4s-1]
Jadeja to Hasan Mahmud, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!
Ashwin to Hasan Mahmud, 1 run, good effort from Siraj at mid-off, but the ball falls in front of his dive. A length delivery on off, Hasan Mahmud flat-bats and miscues, it loops and maybe Siraj picked it late, still a terrific effort as he dives and takes it on the half-volley
61.5
Ashwin to Hasan Mahmud, no run, was it the attempted carrom-ball? comes back in, Hasan Mahmud keeps it out
61.4
Ashwin to Hasan Mahmud, no run, tossed up full and turns in, beats Hasan Mahmud's drive, hit on the pad but too much turn and it's sliding down, even Ashwin thinks the same, they don't even consider a review
61.3
Ashwin to Hasan Mahmud, no run, Rohit tells Pant that it is off the elbow, shakes his head for the review, sharp turn from outside off, extra bounce too, Hasan Mahmud goes on the back foot to cut and it's off the elbow as Pant takes it, hang on - it's taken the strap of the glove, would have been out had India reviewed
61.2
Ashwin to Hasan Mahmud, no run, slower and tossed up outside off, turns in, Hasan Mahmud gets forward to defend
61.1
Ashwin to Hasan Mahmud, no run, back of a length outside off, Hasan Mahmud tries to cut and misses