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Under the leadership of KL Rahul, India clinched an emphatic 188-run victory over Bangladesh in the first Test of the two-match series in Chattogram on Sunday (December 18). But going forward in the second Test in Mirpur, India would want their regular skipper Rohit Sharma to be available. Rohit, who suffered a thumb injury in the second ODI against Bangladesh a few days back, in all likelihood will give his services in the second Test outing against Bangladesh but when the stand-in skipper Rahul was asked about Rohit availability, he said he is not aware of it.
Rohit returned to India after injuring his left thumb while fielding in the second ODI against Bangladesh post which BCCI Abhimanyu Easwaran was called in as his replacement, who has played 78 first-class matches so far, scoring 5576 runs at 45.33.
"About Rohit, we may be able to know (his status) in the next day or two, even I am not aware of it," said Rahul at the post-match press conference.
Not only Rohit but there were many other cricketers who failed to make it to the Indian squad like Jasprit Bumrah (back injury), Mohammad Shami (shoulder injury) and Ravindra Jadeja (knee injury). These star players have failed to recover in time and have been ruled out of both Tests. Navdeep Saini and Saurabh Kumar have been named as replacements for these players. India have also drafted fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat into the 17-man. After a special consultation in Mumbai, it was found out by the medical team that this persistent injury was keeping him out of action, and even forced him out of the first Test against Bangladesh, which began on 14 December.
Talking about the match, Rahul lauded Team India complete performance saying the team did well in all departments and played as a unit.
"Everything stood out. We batted really well, bowled really well. In fielding also, we took most of the catches that came our way. That is the way you win Test matches. Only one or two people cannot win matches, this is for all formats," India's stand-in skipper said.
"Kuldeep (Yadav), (Mohammed) Siraj bowled really well in the first innings (of Bangladesh) but others supported them well. In the second innings, Axar (Patel) bowled really well but Kuldeep and Ash (R Ashwin) kept the pressure on. Umesh (Yadav) and Siraj bowled some really good spells, kept it tight and beat the bat many times but were unlucky. Everybody did well and this was what we wanted to do as a team. The guys who performed well in particular also got support from others. Those who are supporting are also important."
"Whether you have played 50 Test matches or you are playing your first or second match, it is the same. They don't matter," he added.
India's star opener also talked up the turning point of the match.
"That gave us a lot of time to try and win the match. Had Bangladesh got 350 in the first innings, the match could gone for a draw. In Test cricket, you are not going to get an easy win. We knew that and we have played enough Test cricket to understand that at times the opposition is going to play better and we need to respect that. We have to keep doing our job," Rahul said.
"I am very proud that throughout the five days we showed commitment and intensity. There was a bit of worry coming into the Test about how the body would react and be able to manage on the path for so long and still maintain our focus and intensity but we did pretty well, winning the first game." Rahul said wrist spinner Kuldeep was an asset for the team in pitches which doesn't offer much assistance to bowlers. "There was not much (on the wicket) for the spinners and Ash (R Ashwin) also felt that but Kuldeep brought a different variety and that is why we played Kuldeep on a pitch like this."
Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav brought their spin prowess to the fore as India trample Bangladesh by 188 runs in the first Test. While Kuldeep snared eight wickets, including a five-for in the first innings, Axar pestered Bangladesh with a brilliant 4/77 to bundle out the hosts for 324 while defending 513 on Day 5 of the first Test.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan launched a fight with his gritty 84 off 108 but could only delay the inevitable and failed to save his side from going down to dominant India. Earlier, Zakir (100 off 224) scored an impressive century for the losing cause. On Day 5, Shakib resumed batting with Mehidy Hasan by his side at the score of 272/6, but the latter lost his wicket early. Shakib led a lone show, smashing a brave fifty including six sixes and six boundaries. But following his dismissal the Bangladesh tail took no time to fall like a stack of cards. Meanwhile, Axar remained the pick of the bowlers for India in the second innings beside Kudeep's 3/73. Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and R Ashwin grabbed a wicket apiece.
Rahul also rued the 1-2 ODI series loss to Bangladesh and expressed his disappointing. "We played some good cricket but could not capitalise on the big moments. That was a bit disappointing. It is a completely new format now, new individuals, fresh energy coming in and you tend to forget what happened in the past and you try and focus what we have to do. Test cricket is something everyone in the dressing room is excited about playing. There is a positive energy how we look at playing Test cricket and want to win games of cricket. We know that it is challenging and that is the fun of Test cricket," he concluded.
