"The match referee will take a look at the wicket" - Dinesh Karthik on surface used for IND vs BAN 1st Test

Indian keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has expressed displeasure over the pitch used for the ongoing first Test between India and Bangladesh at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

Speaking to Cricbuzz after stumps on Day 3 (Friday, December 16), Karthik pointed out that the track didn't provide enough assistance for the bowlers. He emphasized that it wasn't completely suited for the batters either, considering the slow nature of the surface.

The 37-year-old opined that the match referee would also want to assess the wicket. The venue has received a demerit point in the past, with match referee David Boon rating the pitch used for a Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2018 as 'below average'.

Dinesh Karthik remarked:

"The pitch has been ordinary. It has not offered much for the bowlers. It was definitely not something the batters would enjoy batting on as well because it was quite slow and low too. Overall not a great Test wicket.

"The match referee will take a look at the wicket to see if this is the kind of wicket that's going to encourage crowds to come and watch Test cricket. If that isn't the case, the sport is losing out. We've got to keep batting-oriented wickets more for white-ball cricket. For Test cricket, the more it is in the favour of the bowlers, the better it is."

Kuldeep Yadav was among the few bowlers who shone on the placid wicket at Chattogram, bagging a five-wicket haul in the first innings. Karthik suggested that the wrist spinner has shown great improvement lately and looks a lot more effective after making a few technical changes.

He added:

"I wouldn't say that Kuldeep Yadav is back where he was. I think he has become better than what he was because of the technical changes he has made and the rhythm that he is in.

"Even in the over that he bowled in the second innings, you could see the left-hander trying hard to defend. He is going to be a key factor from here on because you don't see many wrist spinners playing Test cricket. This is something that is a novelty."

Kuldeep bamboozled the Bangladeshi batters by turning the ball both ways. Playing in his first Test in more than 22 months, he picked up five wickets while conceding just 40 runs in the first innings.

What a comeback by Kuldeep Yadav 🤩

#CricketTwitter #indvsban https://t.co/DWReYzsFU8

He is expected to play a major role in the second essay as well, with the wicket expected to turn a lot more on the final two days.

"The key is to produce results" - Dinesh Karthik on India's approach in Test matches

Dinesh Karthik further went on to state that while many want India to undertake an approach used by other countries in the longer format, fans have to understand that every side have their own way of playing.

Speaking about India's not enforcing a follow-on after bundling out Bangladesh for 150, he stated that KL Rahul and Co. may have wanted to give their bowlers a rest, while also giving a few of their batters a chance to score big runs.

Dinesh Karthik elaborated:

"They wanted to give their bowlers a break, especially the fast bowlers. They also wanted a couple of their batters to get those big hundreds. From the outside, we are used to seeing countries play a little differently, and hence we want to adopt that. I think each Test-playing team have their own style of cricket. But the key is to produce results."

That's Stumps on Day 3 of the first #BANvIND Test!

Bangladesh move to 42/0 after #TeamIndia secured a 512-run lead!

We will be back for Day 4 action tomorrow.

Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/BANvIND-1STTEST https://t.co/scqMCXxlG2

India have set Bangladesh a mammoth 513-run target in the first Test. While Bangladesh were able to finish Day 3 unscathed, they have a daunting task ahead as they still are 471 runs being India's total.