IND vs BAN: 'BOOM-RAH' class act as India tighten grip against Bangladesh in first Test

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One swallow doesn't make a summer. That is the sum and substance of this Bangladesh cricket side which has come to India high on confidence but low on substance.

On Day Two of the first Test, it was India who rocked and rolled at the Chepauk, where on a red-soil pitch Jasprit Bumrah put on a class act. Also Read: Virat Kohli makes massive DRS blunder in 2nd innings

Arguably one of the best fast bowlers in the world across all three formats, Bumrah, whose bowling action has been described as unconventional, ripped through the Bangladesh side with four wickets in 11 overs. At stumps, India were 81 for 3, a strong lead of 308 runs which is going to cause more misery for the visitors.

To fold up for 149 in the first innings on Friday, Bangladesh were pretty clueless against the Indian attack, where Bumrah got adequate support from Mohd Siraj, Akash Deep and the ever-reliable Ravindra Jadeja.

The story is about Bumrah, a fast bowler who is India's treasure. When both sides opted for three fast bowlers each, it was clear the class and calibre of Bumrah would stand out as he bowled to both the right-hand and left-hand batters with cunning.

For those who have seen lousy pitches at home in the last series against England played earlier this year, the Chepauk track was far more lively. It was good for the fast bowlers as well as the spinners, though Bumrah now crossing 400 international wickets across three formats has ensured he grabs the spotlight. For someone who has to deal with workload management and so on, an Indian pace attack minus him would look weird.

The way Bangladesh batted, showed they lacked application and were reckless. If some of the wickets fell were to good deliveries, the shots Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das produced against Jadeja were poor.

They were a big hope for Bangladesh but not prepared for the cunning left-arm spinner who can be a menace on any track. Surely, one expected more from a side which defeated Pakistan recently in a Test series which has been hyped far too much.

With a 200-plus lead, there were two options for India, enforce the follow-on or bat again so that they could get more practice. For the cynics, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failing again in the second essay is bad news. But the larger picture is, India are playing Test cricket after a long gap and it is important all the batters can get more time in the middle.

The New Zealand side will be touring India after which India will travel to Australia for an engrossing series towards the end of 2024. After all, for a side which has lost two ICC World Test Championship finals to the Kiwis and Australia, there is hope India will again make it to the final in 2025.

Keeping that in mind, India needed more batting practice, which is what skipper Rohit and coach Gautam Gambhir have in mind. One saw during the series against England at home in February, how pitch conditions were different.

R. Ashwin, who went wicketless on Friday, had been on the rampage in that series with 26 wickets while Jadeja and Bumrah had 19 wickets each. For the record, India won the series 4-1.

There is no way one can play a long series against Bangladesh. Two Tests are enough since they do not have the pedigree. The hype around them is understandable, given the win against Pakistan.

For India to host Bangladesh for a cricket series has also come in for criticism from right-wingers, given the political turmoil in Bangladesh and one community being targeted. The reasoning is, if Pakistan is a terror state and India do not want to travel there, why host Bangladesh?

Maybe, the best thing would be to defeat Bangladesh comprehensively at home. Before that, Shubman Gill would want to score decent runs now that he has got his eye in and remains unbeaten at 33.