Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted the collapse of batting in first innings without major partnership in top order gave India a better hand on the first Test and took the lead with 1-0 here at MA Chidambaram stadium on Sunday.
India thrashed Bangladesh by 280 runs with more than five sessions to spare. Ravichandran Ashwin's 6-88 along with Ravindra Jadeja's 3-58 packed off Bangladesh for 234 while chasing 515 in the opening session of the fourth day.
Much earlier, Ashwin (113) and Jadeja (86) had made it possible for India to post 376 runs in the first innings after being asked to bat first by Shanto. Bangladesh could muster only 149 in reply as the troika of Indian pacers, led by premier speedster Jasprit Bumrah (4-50), Akash Deep (2-19), and Mohammed Siraj (2-30), tore into their visiting opponents.
"We did not bat well in the first innings". It was a very crucial phase of the game. We would have been in an even better position if we at least had one big top-order partnership. There would always be a challenge for the top order to do well, especially in the first innings. How we cope with it is something that's important. We are working towards it but we are not getting the desired results, said Shanto after the match.
It is important to spend the time in the wicket but it wasn't enough today. Shanto said: Still, it will help for the second Test. It was very important for the openers to put on 62 runs. That's one thing we can look forward to in the next Test match, he added.
Centuries by Rishabh Pant, who struck 109, and Shubman Gill, who remained unbeaten on 119, helped India gain a 515-run lead as captain Rohit Sharma declared at 287/4 in the second innings.
Shanto, who had to begin at the crease on Sunday itself, said that facing Siraj in the first spell was tough. Shakib Al Hasan and Shanto fought off the first hour, before drinks. In the remaining 3.3 overs, Bangladesh lost the remaining six wickets to make it an easy affair for India.
Was pretty tough today. The way Siraj was bowling. They are bowling really well. Shakib also batted well. We tried to contribute for the team. We tried to bat as long as we could. One positive thing was that the morning session went well today. After that, we didn't bat that well," Shanto said.
"I think it was pretty tough to bat today. They were bowling in the rough. I don't want to use it as an excuse. These are challenges we have to take," he added.
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