Bangladesh vs India, 1st Test - Day 1, Highlights: Dhawan-Vijay Leave Bangladesh Reeling With Unbroken Opening Stand
Shikhar Dhawan made an explosive comeback to Test cricket with an unbeaten 150 and his opening partner Murali Vijay remained not out on 89 as India romped to 239/0 on Day 1 of the one-off Test against Bangladesh at Fatullah. This Test is Virat Kohli's first assignment as the official Indian Test skipper. Catch all the highlights of Day 1 here.
India and Bangladesh have previously faced each other in seven Tests in Bangladesh. India have won six and drawn one and this one is taking the same route! Winning the toss, Virat Kohli opted to bat and India batted the whole day without losing a single wicket! Of course, Bangladesh will be thanking their stars (or shall we say the dark clouds!) that session after lunch got washed out, else they might have been in for some more misery.
Shikhar Dhawan made an explosive comeback to Test cricket with an unbeaten 150 and his opening partner Murali Vijay kept his wits around to hold on to the other end at 89.
Catch all the highlights of Day 1 here ( Scorecard | Photos | Fixtures)
5.20 PM IST: And Dhawan brings up his 150 and with that STUMPS! Day 1 has belonged to India and how! The second session was washed out but on either side of that Bangladesh have failed to uproot the Indian openers who have made merry on a docile track. Tomorrow we will have an early start , in fact, it will be a nine o' clock start! Will Bangladesh do anything new tomorrow? Will India pile up a mammoth total? Or will rain play spoil sport? Day 2 will be exciting!
5.13 PM IST: 147 off 156 deliveries - phew! Bangladesh didn't sign up for this - Shikhar Dhawan have been relentless on their attack even in the fading light. In fact, it has given the feeling of an ODI game!
5.07 PM IST: Dhawan could not have asked for a better comeback opportunity. Flat pitch and poor bowling. Also, had it not been for Rahul's dengue blow, Dhawan would have been sitting in the sidelines, watching his colleagues pile on the runs today.
4.55 PM IST: India 226/0 in 51 overs vs Bangladesh. Dhawan has reached 140 while Vijay is 14 short of his 6th hundred. Bangladesh bowlers feel the heat.
4.41 PM IST: All eyes are now on Vijay, who has looked a completely different batsman after the rain break. He is on the cusp of his sixth hundred and chances are he might get there today, if light permits. Dhawan is meanwhile well settled and would want to get a a maiden double hundred.
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4.23 PM IST: Dhawan is looking rather fluent now. After being slowed down in the 90s, the left-handed dasher from Delhi has started to dominate once again.
4.16 PM IST: India are 195/0 in 42 overs; Dhawan is on 123 while Vijay has reached 72. Bangladesh are staring at a massive first innings challenge here, unless their bowlers can do something spectacular with the few overs left today and come back strong tomorrow.
4.00 PM IST: With the hundred out of the way, Dhawan could get even more dangerous now. He did slow down over the last 30 minutes but the final session could be nightmarish for Bangladesh's bowlers. Vijay will do what he does best and consolidate further.
3.51 PM IST: Dhawan gets his hundred, off 101 balls - this is his third Test hundred and it will be all the more special as it comes on his return to the team. India 167/0 off 36 overs.
3.47 PM IST: Bangladesh's slower bowlers have done really well to keep Dhawan in the 90s. He is tying himself up in knots now. India are 161/0 in 35 overs.
3.42 PM IST: Dhawan has been tied down for a few minutes now - he is eager to get to his hundred but the Bangladeshi fielders have barely given him the opportunity to steal singles - the gaps have been miraculously reduced. Good thing Vijay has got into his zone. The scoreboard has continued to tick. India 160/0 in 34 overs.
3.31 PM IST: FOUR! Vijay gets to his 11th fifty and first against Bangladesh in the 31st over. India 148/0.
3.27 PM IST: FOUR! Dhawan uses his feet well against Taijul's bowling and that's taken Dhawan into the 90s. India 137/0 in 29 overs.
3.21 PM IST: Dhawan is looking good for his hundred here - he has missed out on at least two over the last 15 months - once in New Zealand (98) and then in Australia (81). He has moved away to 86 now, and it is such an important match for him.
3.07 PM IST: Vijay has picked up pace nicely after a slow start to his innings. He's looking good for another half-century but the focus is on Dhawan, who looks poised for a hundred in his comeback match.
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3.04 PM IST: FOUR! Poor bowling again from Shahid and Vijay caresses that beautifully on the off-side. India 112/0.
3.01 PM IST: One run added to India's score after the rain break; 108/0 off 24 overs. Dhawan is 26 short of his third Test hundred.
2.58 PM IST: The players are out in the middle. Dhawan and Vijay stride out to the middle. Taijul to complete his innings. Harsha Bhogle says the outfield is looking 'alright.'
2.46 PM IST: Once play resumes, a minimum of 38 overs will be bowled. Whether the light will be good for those many overs remains to be seen.
2.34 PM IST: Play will resume at 3 PM IST. Tea has been taken now.
2.00 PM IST: Super-Soppers have been pressed into service while the umpires take a walk around the square to assess the damage. There will be a formal inspection at 2.30 PM IST.
1.50 PM: The ground staff are getting busy now, with the outfield covers coming off too now. The umpires are now in the middle for an inspection.
1.44 PM IST: The covers are now off the square but the outfield is still protected.
1.30 PM IST: The forecast for the next four days in Fatullah is not great either. It would be frustrating for the players to sit in the change-rooms, waiting for play to resume. Also, spare a thought for the spectators at the ground. The only other Test was played here nine years back, which Australia won by three wickets.
1.18 PM IST: Meanwhile, it appears India will tour Zimbabwe in July for a short limited overs series. They will play three ODIs and two T20Is against the African minnows during the 14-day tour.
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1.16 PM IST: The covers had started to come off but they are being laid back again as the rain returns to frustrate everyone concerned. India were in a dominating position but it seems they will have to wait longer than they would have liked for play to resume.
1.06 PM IST: The covers are coming off the pitch. Word awaited on when play can start again.
1.00 PM IST: It has stopped raining. No word on when play can resume
12.30 PM IST: Not very encouraging news from the ground. It's still raining and the ground is under cover. Very unlikely that play will start anytime soon.
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12.10 PM IST: As we wait for the play to begin, here is some other news from the world of cricket. Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan has purchased Caribbean Premier League team Trinidad & Tobago. He has joined Hollywood greats Mark Waklberg and Gerard Butler in purchasing teams in the Caribbean T20 league. England meanwhile decimated World Cup runners-up New Zealand by 210 runs to record their most comprehensive ODI win.
11.48 AM IST: It's getting really dark in Fatullah. There was a prediction for rain but this is heavier than anyone would have liked. India were dominating and they would be really unhappy
11.23 AM IST: Lunch taken in Fatullah. India are 107/0 in 23.3 overs against Bangladesh with Dhawan batting on 74 and Vijay unbeaten on 33.
11.21 AM IST: The rain is getting heavier in Fatullah. It's the peak of monsoons in most parts of Asia and the scheduling of a Test match at this time of the year is bound to raise some questions. Nevertheless, it was a great batting display by India in the first session, especially by Dhawan, who has been in the midst of a poor run recently in the longest format of the game.
11.07 AM IST: Rain stops play! Dhawan was dropped on 73 off Taijul's bowling, but he lives to fight another day. India are 107/0 in 23.3 overs against Bangladesh.
11.04 AM IST: A drizzle! The ground staff are ready with the covers and they could be out any minute now. Meanwhile, Dhawan has taken his helmet off and is looking to charge down every ball. This could be an interesting passage of play.
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11.01 AM IST: FOUR! Dhawan punishes a lose ball from Jubair Hossain and that's the 100 up for India in the 23rd over. This is a great start; if India can go to lunch without losing a wicket, Bangladesh could be looking at a really long day.
10.53 AM IST: FOUR! Sweetly timed and driven through off. Shakib has to do better than that with his line. As the senior-most bowler in the side, the left-arm spinner needs to exploit the surface for what it's worth. Right now, it's all too easy for India.
10.49AM IST: Dhawan is moving rapidly towards his hundred. After a poor time in the Tests in Australia, this is a golden opportunity for the left-handed dasher to get some runs under his belt.
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10.41 AM IST: Dhawan has been clearly the more dominating partner but Vijay's role will be crucial here. He can bat long and frustrate the Bangladeshi bowlers while the more charismatic strokemakers work around him. Not just Dhawan, the likes of Rohit, Kohli and Rahane will all look to score briskly. India 74/0 in 17 overs.
10.35 AM IST: The talented Taijul Islam in the attack as Bangladesh try to break a strong opening stand here. Dhawan has looked dangerous while Vijay has got his eyes in too. This match could run out of Bangladesh's control very soon if they don't get a couple of wickets in the morning session.
10.27 AM IST: Fifty for Dhawan, his third in Test cricket. And it came off only 47 balls. India are 69/0 in 14 overs against Bangladesh in Fatullah.
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10.17 AM IST: Shakib drifts down the leg-side and Dhawan gets another boundary as India raise 50 in quick time against Bangladesh. These are still early days in the match but Bangladesh's bowlers have been appalling, giving way too many scoring opportunities to India.
10.14 AM IST: India are 45/0 in 10 overs, with Dhawan getting 41 of those runs. Bangladesh have at last introduced their main strike bowler Shakib-al-Hasan. Can he do some damage here for the hosts?
10.10 AM IST: For some reason, Bangladesh's bowlers have pitched wide outside the off-stump to Dhawan, who would not miss out on those opportunities. He helped himself to another boundary as India moved to 43/0 in 9 overs.
10.08 AM IST: While Dhawan has taken the Bangladesh attack to the cleaners, Vijay, who has been in far better form, has decided to be more circumspect. The Tamil Nadu batsman has not played any international cricket since the Test series against Australia about five months back - Dhawan on the other hand was in great touch in the World Cup and had a decent IPL.
9.58 AM IST: FOUR! Superb shot from Dhawan as Shahid bowls a poor line. India are getting a serious move-on here. And another boundary. After the initial watchful phase, Dhawan has started to take the Bangladesh bowling apart.
9.53 AM IST: Spin introduced early. Shuvgata in the attack as Dhawan faces up. And he immediately executes a backfoot punch to perfection. FOUR! And Dhawan follows it up with another FOUR! down the ground. India 20/0 in the sixth over.
9.48 AM IST: Vijay has been in spectacular form since 2013, averaging a healthy 45.11 - he has scored runs in England and Australia in trying conditions. In Bangladesh, Vijay would look to pile on a really big one.
9.45 AM IST: FOUR! First boundary of the innings. Poor line from Sarkar and Dhawan was quick to latch on to the opportunity. India 6/0 in the fourth over.
9.41 AM IST: First interesting moments of the Test match. Shahid got Dhawan to edge one and the ball dropped just short of third slip. Dhawan was dropped for the last Test in Australia and he is in the side only because Rahul is down with dengue. The Delhi dasher would be keen to make an impression once again.
9.38 AM IST: Indian openers Dhawan and Vijay have been watchful in overcast conditions. The visitors are 1/0 in 2 overs after electing to bat in Fatullah, where they are playing a Test match for the first time.
9.34 AM IST: Soumya Sarkar runs in to bowl the second over of the innings in overcast conditions. Shikhar Dhawan on strike. He takes a single to get off strike as Vijay gets ready to face again.
9.33 AM IST: Mohammad Shahid bowls first up for Bangladesh. India openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan in the middle. Vijay faces a maiden from Shahid.
9.05 AM IST: Teams
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das, Shuvagata Hom, Jubair Hossain, Taijul Islam, Mohammad Shahid
India: Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron
9.02 AM IST: India have recalled Harbhjan Singh into the team and decided to bat first against Bangladesh in Fatullah. With KL Rahul missing out of this Test, Shikhar Dhawan has also been included in the side.
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Virat Kohli and Rubel Hossain - two names that are generating the maximum buzz in the social media as India prepare to take on Bangladesh in a one-off Test at Fatullah.
On March 19, 2015, as India took on Bangladesh in the World Cup quarter-finals, Virat Kohli chased and edged a wide half-volley at Melbourne. The bowler Rubel gave the Indian superstar a proper send-off and it kicked off a new rivalry in world cricket.
The World Cup's done and the Indian Premier League dusted - Team India is ready for a fresh international season. Although as a Test nation, Bangladesh shouldn't scare India, but the Kohli-led team has much more than the Bangla tigers on their plate - a new Test skipper, no head coach, a new wicket-keeper, hot and humid Fatullah weather and NO MS DHONI.
Bangladesh however, have a few injuries to deal with. Their star batsman Mahmudullah was injured during a practice session, prime pacer Mashrafe Mortaza was sidelined after a freak accident and captain Mushfiqur Rahim isn't fit enough to keep wickets.
India will be missing their World Cup star Mohammad Shami. Apart from the Bengal pacer, they named a full-strength Test squad and even handed Harbhajan Singh a comeback. The Fatullah pitch has a bit of grass on it but by nature, it's bound to slow down. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will make a comeback and share the new-ball with Umesh Yadav but it will be interesting to see how the spin-duo of Harbhajan and Ashwin work in tandem.
With rain forecasted for the last two days, India would like to bat first and then crush Bangladesh under a mountain of runs but then again, the Bangla tigers will be waiting to roar against their familiar foes on their home soil.