Apart from their own indiscretions, India did not face any major threat on a largely sunny day on which rain made a brief appearance. Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly showed enough pluck -- as they have done on so many occasions -- to steer lead their team to a position of strength.
The two veterans joined hands with India facing a mini-crisis following the quick dismissals of skipper Rahul Dravid and Dinesh Kaarthick. The pitch offered some turn to the Bangladesh spinners, but both Tendulkar and Ganguly were able to adjust nicely, carrying India to 295 for three when the first day’s play in the first Test ended due to poor light. However, a little more prudence from India's top three could have made that total look even more intimidating.
Tendulkar was his fluent self on Friday, never looking in trouble at any stage. In the past, left-arm spinners have troubled the Mumbaikar a lot, and the presence of three left-arm tweakers might have provided Bangladesh with great hope.
But the maestro was in no mood to succumb to past habits as he negated the spinners with consummate ease on his way to an unbeaten 80, and well on his way to a 36th Test hundred.
Ganguly too looked comfortable, seldom allowing the left-arm triumvirate to trouble him.

Second fiddle
The Kolkatan mainly played second fiddle to Tendulkar, but came into his own when he hoisted Mohammad Rafique for two sixes over the sightscreen during his unbeaten 82 that promises an extended show on day two. Tendulkar and Ganguly have so far milked 163 for the fourth wicket, and the Bangladesh bowlers will have to come up with a remarkable effort to stop India racking up mountain on the morrow.
After Dravid called right, the Indian first innings had as inauspicious a start as one could imagine. Wasim Jaffer shouldered arms to the first ball of the series from paceman Mashrafe Mortaza, but the ball jagged back a bit and the off-stump was pegged back.
At zero for one, there might have been a few jitters in the Indian camp, but Dravid and Kaarthick, playing as an opening batsman, steadied the nerves during a solid second-wicket partnership that yielded 124 runs in just over 31 overs.         
Dravid was in immaculate touch from the moment he arrived at the crease, middling the ball straightway. A couple of patented drives through the off-side off Mortaza indicated Dravid's touch, and his innings was a perfect illustration of counter-attacking.

Uncertain
At the other end, Kaarthick was a little uncertain to begin with, especially against the quick, climbing deliveries of Shahadat Hossain.
However, once he got his eye in, Kaarthick too played some handsome strokes as Bangladesh bowlers struggled to find any more breakthroughs. Hossain and Mortaza dropped it short in the morning session; Dravid and Kaarthick were too happy to oblige playing some delightful drives on the up as the ball careened to fence at regular intervals. It came as little surprise that India were scoring at six an over, the fifty coming up in 8.1 overs.

Impetuosity
The partnership looked good for many more, but the youthful impetuosity of Kaarthick brought the curtains down after the post-lunch session began following a 55-minute rain delay. The Tamil Nadu batsman, after notching up his third Test fifty, went for a pull off Mortaza but the ball was not short enough for that shot, Kaarthick only managed to scoop a tame catch to Mohammad Ashraful at covers.
Dravid, who scored his 47th fifty, too did not last long as he edged a short, rising delivery from Hossain to Khalid Mashud behind the stumps. The dismissal reduced India to 132 for three and it appeared as if their decision to sacrifice a sixth batsman for the fifth bowler would backfire. They had decided in the morning to leave out VVS Laxman – the eternal sacrificial lamb – and Yuvraj Singh to accommodate pace bowler VRV Singh in the playing eleven, considering the taxing conditions.
Bangladesh, at that point of time, might have sniffed a couple of more wickets, but Tendulkar and Ganguly thwarted any such ambitions and ensured that the home side would not have more than those odd occasions to rejoice.