What happened the last time India played a Test in Chattogram?
India and Bangladesh will play each other in the first Test of a two-match series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, starting 14 December. The hosts are not an easy team to beat in home conditions. Hence, the series will be an exciting one to watch for the fans, especially if the pitches suit the Bangladesh bowlers a tad more.
This will be a very important series for India as the WTC final qualification race gets more and more exciting. They need to win five of their next six Test matches, set to be played against Bangladesh and Australia, to secure a spot in the finals.
Test-mode π
Preps done, all set for the #BANvIND Test π
#TeamIndia https://t.co/yqX2iDXYrm
Bangladesh, on the other hand, is virtually out of the finals race. Their performances at home in this WTC cycle have been below average - they have won 0 matches and lost three in four Tests, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
So far, Team India has played two Tests in Chattogram - winning one and drawing the other. Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium was assigned Test-host status in 2006.
It also hosted two group-stage games at the 2011 ODI World Cup. It has a seating capacity of approximately 20,000 people. The pitch is typically high-scoring, providing little assistance for the pacers. Spinners might get some help as the game progresses.
India won the last Test they played in Chattogram, against Bangladesh in 2010
Bangladesh won the toss and put the visitors in to bat first. This was the first Test of a two-match series between the neighbors. After an opening partnership of 79 between Virender Sehwag (52) and Gautam Gambhir (23), there was a middle-order collapse.
However, a 44th Test hundred from Sachin Tendulkar (105* off 166 deliveries) meant that India were able to reach a score of 243 in the first innings. Shakib Al Hasan and Shahadat Hosein picked up five wickets each.
Today in 2010
@sachin_rt became 1st Crickter to reach 13000 runs in test & scored (105* vs Ban) https://t.co/b3vZ8sxv7A
In response, Bangladesh scored 242 runs in their first innings. Mahmudullah (69) and Mushfiqur Rahim (44) put up a crucial 108-run partnership for the 7th wicket. Zaheer Khan was the pick of the Indian bowlers with three wickets, dismissing both the openers and Shakib Al Hasan. Amit Mishra also picked up three wickets while Sreesanth, and Ishant Sharma chipped in with two each.
Since the visitors had a lead of just one run, the ball was now in their court. They had to set a competitive 4th innings target for the hosts. The entire batting unit contributed with cameos, but Gambhir's counter-attacking 116 allowed them to set a target beyond Bangladesh's reach. The Indian team declared their innings on 413/8, giving the hosts a target of 415.
Bangladesh put up a respectable performance in the 4th innings. However, chasing 415 was always going to be a mammoth task. After a top-order collapse that saw them lose the first five wickets for just 135 runs, the tail wagged a bit.
They were able to cross 300 though, thanks to a century from Mushfiqur Rahim. However, they got bowled out for 301. Amit Mishra (4/92) and Ishant Sharma (3/48) were the pick of the bowlers for their team.