3 takeaways for Team India from Day 1 of the 1st Test vs Bangladesh
Team India reached 278/6 at Stumps on Day 1 of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chattogram.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, India lost their first three wickets with just 48 runs on the board. The hosts' bowlers kept things tight throughout the day, although contributions from Rishabh Pant, Cheteshwar Pujara and Shreyas Iyer kept KL Rahul and Co. in the contest.
Here are three takeaways for Team India from Day 1 of the first Test against Bangladesh.
#3 The pitch will get very difficult to bat on
The pitch at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium was expected to be much more batting-friendly than it eventually turned out to be. Nevertheless, India's toss win now seems vital in the context of the game.
Even on Day 1, when conditions were expected to be the most conducive they would be for the batters, several balls kept low and challenged the reflexes of the visiting batters. There was also some turn on offer, with Taijul Islam getting prodigious spin to send back Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara.
The pitch will certainly get more difficult to bat on over the next few days, and India's spinners might be licking their lips at the prospect of bowling once it deteriorates a bit more.
#2 Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer fight on
Keep your BazBalls, Pujara scoring 46(122) is beautiful to me
Three players who have been subjected to immense criticism over the last year or so made hugely important contributions for Team India on Day 1 of the first Test against Bangladesh.
Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been named the vice-captain of the tour, maximized an early life to make a resolute 90 that weathered the loss to a few early wickets. Shreyas Iyer rode his luck as well, surviving a dropped chance and an almost-bowled to remain unbeaten on 82 at the end of the day's play.
Rishabh Pant, meanwhile, was more maverick in his approach. The young wicket-keeper's 45-ball 46 injected some purpose into the Indian innings as he unsettled the spinners with his range and intelligence.
India's score could've been significantly worse had Pujara, Pant and Shreyas not fought hard in Chattogram.
#1 Key Team India batters fail to capitalize on friendly conditions
Both the Indian openers depart 🤯
#CricketTwitter #banvsind https://t.co/BguCJICBPs
While there was some uneven bounce on offer in Chattogram, conditions were decent for the openers to get stuck in and score big. Unfortunately for Team India, three of their top-four batters got out in disappointing fashion.
Shubman Gill was the first to go, with his unnecessary paddle-sweep ending up in the hands of a moving first slip. He wasted yet another chance to make big runs in Test cricket and was dismissed for 20 off 40 despite looking comfortable at the crease.
Captain KL Rahul, who was watchful at the start of his innings, was lured into a complacent waft by Khaled Ahmed. The resultant inside-edge cannoned onto the stumps as Rahul walked back for 22.
Kohli, meanwhile, was beaten all ends up by a Taijul delivery that turned away sharply to rap him on the pads. His numbers against spin over the last three years in Test cricket don't make for great reading, with an average hovering around the late 20s and several dismissals that have left him with a puzzled look on his face.
Team India could've had a mammoth first-day score had their top-order batters shown more application.