Bangladesh surprise India

India's first outing as the No 1 Test team did not appear to be made of champion stuff, and foggy skies that greeted the two teams at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Sunday morning were perhaps an indication of the way things would turn up through the the day.

First, Harbhajan Singh pulled out of the contest at the last minute with a sprained neck — a day after Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was ruled out because of back spasms.

Then, the famed Indian batting line-up collapsed against an 'ordinary' Bangladesh bowling, with the most innocuous bowler of the day ending up with a four-wicket tally. In the end, after a disappointing batting display, the visitors finished with 213 for eight at stumps on the first day of the opening Test. And it was only Sachin Tendulkar's unbeaten 76 — an uncharacteristically scratchy knock — that saved India the blushes.

The beginning of the Indian innings though, after a 90-minute delay, seemed customary as stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir got off to a flier. By lunch, the two looked in complete command, having taken the score to 63 without loss in just 13 overs. The lunch break was the turning point, with the two sides appearing to be interchanged when they walked out for the second session.

Beginning the slide

After having bowled one over in the morning session, Shahadat Hossain was smashed for 15 runs — three fours by Sehwag and one wide — after lunch. The next over, Sehwag hit his opposite number Shakib Al Hasan straight to Tamim Iqbal at short-cover, having scored a 51-ball 52.

Gambhir then edged a rising Shahadat delivery to the wicket-keeper two balls later, before the tall speedster sent Rahul Dravid's middle-stump packing with a full delivery. Yuvraj Singh chipped a harmless full-toss from Shakib to Rubel Hossain standing at deep mid-on and Dinesh Karthik edged a wide delivery to reduce India to 150 for 6. India lost six wickets for 97 runs in the second session.

Tendulkar — after surviving a dropped chance at slip on 16 — though continued to wage a lone battle at the other end, going past the 13, 000-run mark in the process. Amit Mishra and Zaheer Khan provided some company, before falling to Shahadat (4/51) and Shakib (4/52) — who bowled 26 overs on the trot — respectively.

No 1 jinx?

Interestingly, the last time a No 1 ranked Test team paraded into Bangladesh — Australia in 2006 — they, too, had experienced an uneasy start to the series, with the home side piling on over 400 runs in their first innings and even managing to gain a huge lead at Fatullah. South Africa, too, made an uncomfortable start to their tour in 2008, getting bowled out for 170 in the first innings. Both teams, though, eventually escaped any serious embarrassment.

And after his much-publicised haughty comments, Sehwag will be hoping that India, too, manage to overcome the early obstacles. The first day, though, would not have been encouraging for the skipper.

Test debut for Erasmus

The sun must have hardly risen over Cape Province in South Africa around the time the two captains walked out for the toss on Sunday in Chittagong. For one household on the outskirts of Cape Town, however, it was to be an early start. Marais Erasmus, officiating in his first Test, insists his family loves to watch him on TV.

"During the India-Sri Lanka ODI in Rajkot, my twin boys sat up at 5.30 in the morning, saw me walk out and then went to sleep," says the 45-year-old all-rounder, who played 53 first-class games for Boland.

Admitting he was nervous in the build-up to the Test, Erasmus said: "My father is a keen cricket follower. And though he believes his son can do no wrong, he can be very critical if I get a decision wrong," he says. — Bharat Sundaresan

'Ordinary' Bangladesh reduce India to 213 for 8

Sachin Tendulkar saved India the blushes as Bangladesh, derided as an 'ordinary' team by rival captain Virender Sehwag, walked away with the opening day honours in the first cricket Test in Chittagong today.

The morning session did not give any hint of the impending disaster as India lost six of their top batsmen in the post-lunch period before crawling to 213 for eight at stumps, thanks to Tendulkar's unbeaten 76 and a characteristically breezy 52 by Sehwag.

During the course of his 55th Test half-century, Tendulkar also crossed the 13,000 runs mark in the longer format of the game.

At stumps, Ishant Sharma (1) was giving company to Tendulkar after Shahadat Hossain (4/51) and Shakib Al Hasan (4/52) had mowed down the top and middle order.

Sehwag, leading the side in Mahendra Singh Dhoni's injury-forced absence, had earlier derided the hosts as an ordinary side, questioning their ability to take 20 wickets.

Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir (23) gave India a strong start by raising 79 runs for the opening wicket in just 15 overs but the visiting batsmen gifted wickets in a heap in the dramatic post-lunch session, which was extended by half an hour after a 90-minute delayed start due to bad light.

SOURCE :- www.hindustantimes.com

Bangladesh prove a point - India’s best move comes after day’s play, in the form of Sachin

LOKENDRA PRATAP SAHI

Sachin Tendulkar on way to his unbeaten 76 on the opening day of the first Test against Bangladesh, in Chittagong, on Sunday. (AP) Chittagong: The Indian cricket team’s best move on a truncated day came off the field, when senior-most pro Sachin Tendulkar was sent to face the media. Anybody else would probably have been taken apart by the Bangladeshi press corps, thanks to stand-in captain Virender Sehwag’s somewhat insensitive “ordinary side” comment directed at the home team, but Sachin is God in these parts too. It was, after all, Bangladesh’s day on Sunday and Sehwag was left with egg on his face. He didn’t follow tradition at the toss, as well, turning up in a sweater and not the India blazer. The buzz is that he hasn’t brought his blazer to Bangladesh! “Sehwag said it and you should ask him... I’m not answering for Sehwag,” Sachin responded, when asked to give his views on the “ordinary side” bit. There was a feeble attempt at throwing a follow-up, but Sachin stood firm: “Let’s move to the next question...” A lesser cricketer would almost surely have been shouted down by the desi media. With fellow-batsmen scripting an appalling show, which saw India end Day I of the opening Test for the Idea Cup on 213 for eight, a milestone — 13,000 Test runs — sadly became a non event. Later, speaking to The Telegraph at the Peninsula Hotel, Sachin said: “Frankly, it was only when the screen flashed that I was four short of the landmark did I realise I was so close... Because of the situation we were in, other things had been on my mind, not 13,000 Test runs...” Sachin, who began his 163rd Test 30 adrift of that figure, was dropped on 16, but finished on an unbeaten 76. It hasn’t been one of his best innings, but may still be remembered as special should the remainder of the match go India’s way. The Milestone Man is himself quite optimistic. “The game is not over as yet, there’s a long way to go... Wait and see... Hopefully, it will go into the fifth day... I expect the wicket (at the Z.A. Chowdhury Stadium) to get better... There was a lot of moisture in the morning, though it got less as the day progresed...” But what about the poor shot-selection from some of his teammates? To an extent, Sachin defended them: “Nobody plays shots in order to get out... One had to be patient and be careful with the shot-selection...” It’s not that the conditions weren’t challenging, with the ball stopping and coming on to the bat and, then, often turning prodigiously, but a star-studded line-up is expected to counter effectively. Sachin, for his part, didn’t forget to compliment the Bangladesh bowlers, who’d been dismissed by Sehwag, on Saturday, as incapable of taking 20 Indian wickets. Actually, had Sachin’s catch been taken by Imrul Kayes, Bangladesh could’ve been batting before the premature close. Zaheer Khan was also dropped, but that didn’t prove costly. “The Bangladesh bowlers exploited the conditions quite well (after Shakib-al Hasan won the toss)... They did so throughout the day and I’d say all of them bowled well,” Sachin pointed out, in a tone which suggested admiration. Of course, awful shots (from Sehwag and Dinesh Karthik, for example) and indecision from Yuvraj Singh helped Bangladesh in no small manner. Rahul Dravid, however, fell to a superb yorker from Shahadat Hossain, while V.V.S.Laxman was quite “unlucky,” as Sachin put it. Shakib, who bowled 25 overs unchanged, and Shahadat each picked up four wickets. With both in control, at one point, India had been six down for as little as 150. No wickets were lost in the opening session, which began 90 minutes late owing to fog and insufficient light, but Bangladesh claimed six in the period between lunch and tea. For now, at least, Sehwag has been taught a lesson. Shakib’s response, by the way, was mature when asked if Sehwag’s comment had fired up his team. “No... We didn’t really discuss it... We wanted to bowl a good line and length and succeeded... It’s for you (the media) to judge whether we’re an ordinary side...” Point made, tellingly. Footnote: There were shouts of “go back” directed at Team India, from the stands, all because of Sehwag.

SOURCE :- telegraph