JOIN USIndia score comprehensive victory
But it eventually arrived when Rahim holed out to substitute Pragyan Ojha as India posted a 113-run victory to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series here on Thursday. Required to score a mammoth 415 to win, Bangladesh, resuming from overnight 67 for two, managed to register 301, courtesy Rahim’s maiden Test hundred.
It was not quite the champion stuff from India as at many stages of this Test, they were left searching for intensity. Even the final day was no exception as they struggled to put a quick end to the Bangladesh innings. However, the Indian bowlers seemed to run away with the match in the first session of the day.
There was the now customary fog-enforced delay, this time an hour, before the proceedings started and Mohammad Ashraful provided the initial spark with a couple of crisp-as-chips drives to the fence.
A big innings from Ashraful was essential for Bangladesh to even attempt to snatch a draw.
Ishant impresses
But the diminutive batsmen once again made all sigh in disappointment edging Ishant Sharma, the most impressive among Indian bowlers, to Rahul Dravid at second slip, who took a fine tumbling catch. The Delhi pace bowler soon trapped Raqibul Hasan in front to reduce Bangladesh to 97 for four, but Tamim Iqbal, overnight 23, and skipper Shakib al Hasan steadied the ship during a 38-run alliance for the fifth wicket.
Iqbal showed a welcome desire to occupy the crease, choosing his shots with care en route to a mature fifty. However, their piece de resistance did not attain full bloom as Virender Sehwag snared Iqbal.
Amit Mishra, who looked innocuous for a large part, produced a fine googly that ended in the palms of Sehwag at silly point after taking the edge of Shakib’s bat.
The stand-in Indian skipper roared and punched the air in delight just like his opposite number did when he was involved in Sehwag’s two dismissals in this Test. With the cream of top order back in the hut with a mere 145 on the board, a quick end to Bangladesh innings loomed large. But they had a little fighter in their ranks.
Bundle of innovation
Rahim looks more like a school kid, even some of the Indians expressed similar feelings when the wicketkeeper-batsman was batting, but at the crease the Bangladeshi is a bundle of innovation and confidence.
Indeed, Rahim’s innings was fuelled by the kind of bravery sometimes a no-hope situation can spark in an individual, but the way he tackled the experienced Indian bowlers was remarkable.
Zaheer Khan tested Rahim with short-pitched balls, he moved away swiftly from the line of fire; Ishant questioned his awareness of off-stump, he left alone anything that was close to dangerous; Mishra used a good mix of googlies and leg-spin to test his skill, but the pint-size batsman had a reply for every trick.
Rahim remained positive despite standing on the burning deck and had some other top-order batsman showed similar application, Bangladesh might have made India’s day much tougher.
He had only tail-enders for support, but Rahim managed to stitch together small partnerships to take Bangladesh past the 300-run mark on his way to a hundred that should give him a lot of confidence for future assignments.
But Rahim’s knock was insufficient to prevent the rout as Bangladesh innings ended with a session to go.
Score Board
INDIA (I Innings): 243 all out
BANGLADESH (I Innings): 242 all out
INDIA (II Innings): 413/8 decl
BANGLADESH (II Innings, O/n: 67/2)
Iqbal c Dravid b Sehwag 52
(202m, 122b, 6x4)
Kayes c Kaarthick b Zaheer 1
(11m, 6b)
Nafees c Sehwag b Ishant 21
(56m, 27b, 3x4)
Ashraful c Dravid b Ishant 27
(33m, 32b, 5x4)
Raqibul lbw Ishant 13
(34m, 30b, 2x4)
Shakib c Sehwag b Mishra 17
(70m, 47b, 2x4)
Rahim c sub (Ojha) b Mishra 101
(135m, 114b, 17x4, 1x6)
Mahmudulla c Kaarthick b Zaheer 20
(30m, 25b, 4x4)
Shahadat b Mishra 24
(40m, 30b, 5x4)
Shafiul c&b Mishra 8
(19m, 11b, 1x6)
Rubel (not out) 4
(21m, 14b)
Extras (B-4, LB-3, NB-6) 13
Total (all out, 75.2 overs) 301
Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Kayes), 2-47 (Nafees), 3-79 (Ashraful), 4-97 (Raqibul), 5-135 (Tamim), 6-145 (Shakib), 7-170 (Mahmudulla), 8-232 (Shahadat), 9-258 (Shafiul).
Bowling: Zaheer 20-5-90-2, Sreesanth 12.2-0-53-0 (nb-3), Ishant 15-4-48-3, Mishra 22.2-3-92-4 (nb-3), Sehwag 4-1-7-1, Yuvraj 1.4-1-4-0.