CHENNAI, India (Reuters) -Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud produced a three-wicket burst to rattle India, who limped to 88 for three at lunch on the opening day of the first test in Chennai on Thursday.
The left-handed duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal (37) and Rishabh Pant (33) led India’s revival with a 54-run stand for the unbroken fourth wicket.
Bangladesh are on a high after their 2-0 series sweep in Pakistan earlier this month and they appeared to carry that confidence against India, whom they have never beaten in test cricket.
Touring captain Najmul Hossain Shanto elected to field hoping his seamers would milk the early morning conditions under an overcast sky at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Their new ball pair of Hasan and Taskin Ahmed did not let down their captain and bowled with sustained hostility.
Home captain Rohit Sharma needed 11 balls to get off the mark and survived a vociferous lbw appeal before edging Hasan to Shanto at second slip playing a defensive shot. Rohit made six.
In his next over, Hasan had Shubman Gill caught behind for a duck tickling the ball down the leg side and into Litton Das’ gloves.
Virat Kohli also fell to a soft dismissal driving away from his body to be caught behind for six as India slumped to 34-3 inside the first hour.
Challenging conditions and departing partners could not bog down Jaiswal though, and the opener played gorgeous drives and exquisite flicks.
Pant, playing his first test since a horrific car crash in December 2022, cut and pulled fearlessly and scored briskly to turn the heat back on the bowlers.
The second and final test is scheduled in Kanpur from Sept. 27.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Lincoln Feast and Sonali Paul)
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