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Chittagong, May 18 (PTI) Sachin Tendulkar and
Sourav Ganguly decimated the Bangladesh attack with a clinical
display of batsmanship and piloted India to a position of
strength on the first day of the opening Test against Bangladesh
here today. Coming together after the visitors had lost opener
Dinesh Kaarthick (56) and skipper Rahul Dravid (61) within the
space of 12 balls, the two senior cricketers were involved in an
unfinished 163-run fourth-wicket stand as India reached 295 for
3 at stumps. Both Tendulkar and Ganguly had been excluded from
the ODI team that played three matches against the hosts in the
earlier part of the tour.
Scorecard
A determined Tendulkar, his innings
embellished with seven boundaries, was unconquered on 80, while
Ganguly remained unbeaten on 82 when play ended at the Bir
Sreshta stadium. Ganguly, who came up with some audacious
strokes, hit ten boundaries and two sixes during his 132-ball
knock, as the Indian willowers had a field day on a docile track
that offered very little to the bowlers. Earlier, Dravid and
Kaarthick led the foundation of the Indian innings with a
124-run second wicket partnership that offset the loss of opener
Wasim Jaffer off the first ball of the match. The endless
speculation about India's opening combination came to an end
with Wasim Jaffer walking out into the middle alongside
wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Kaarthick, but the ploy did not
work. The match started off sensationally, as pacer Mashrafe Bin
Mortaza brought the sizeable crowd on to its feet by dislocating
Jaffer's off stump with the first delivery of the match.
The ball pitched a shade outside the off
stump and came sharply in, as Jaffer became the 25th player in
Test cricket history to be dismissed of the opening delivery.
Skipper Rahul Dravid, coming in at number three, took a few
balls to settle down before starting to punish the bowlers,
especially Mortaza. The 34-year-old batsman opened up in the
fifth over picking up three boundaries of Mortaza, courtesy a
cut over point and two exquisite cover drives, as 14 came off
the over. Kaarthick also played confidently, punishing the loose
balls, as runs started coming in a torrent, with Mortaza
conceding 11 in his fifth over, which also saw the 50 of the
partnership on the board. Dravid seemed in complete control as
he let loose several classy shots, while Kaarthick seemed his
usual confident self on the flat track which gave virtually no
assistance to the bowlers.
Dravid completed his half-century from 59
balls, with a single to long off, while Kaarthick pulled the
next delivery of Enamul Huq to the fence to post the 100 of the
innings and the partnership in 107 minutes. Kaarthick got to his
half-century in the penultimate over before lunch with a single
off spinner Mohammad Rafique. However, the Bangladesh bowlers
got rid of the duo and pegged back the Indian willowers in the
post-lunch session, which was delayed by 55 minutes due to
rains. Kaarthick and Dravid got out within a space of 12 balls
as India became 132 for 3. Mortaza, who proved expensive in his
opening spell in the morning, got back his rhythm later on, to
trouble Kaarthick, as the two constantly made eye contact,
trying to play the mind game on each other.
Kaarthick's 143-minute vigil in the middle
came to an end in the seventh over after lunch as he tried to
pull a Mortaza delivery from outside the offstump and ballooned
a catch to Mohammad Ashraful at mid-off. Kaarthick's 102-ball
innings was studded with nine hits to the fence and he put on
124 for the second wicket along with Dravid. There was a further
setback for India soon after. Dravid, who managed only one
boundary after lunch with a drive past mid-off, made the long
walk back to the pavilion in the 34th over of the innings.
Shahadat Hossain, who replaced Mortaza, got immediate success
when he bowled one short outside the off-stump and the
34-year-old Indian batsman was beaten by the additional bounce
as he went for a cut and wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud made no
mistake in accepting the offering.
Scorecard (Agencies) |
