Pant to Ashwin: India's heroes in Test win against Bangladesh in Chennai

Bangladesh started the match on top in the first two sessions of the game, but Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja led India's fightback to keep their winning streak against the former intact

Rohit Sharma and company extended their dominance in Test cricket at home after beating Bangladesh by 280 runs in the first Test at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, September 22. India, who scored 376 runs in the first innings, bowled out Bangladesh for just 149 to secure a 227-run lead. India then added 287 more runs in the second innings, giving Bangladesh a monstrous target of 515 to chase. However, despite skipper Najmul Hasan Shanto’s fighting 82, no other Bangladeshi batter was able to mount a significant challenge as they were all out for 234, giving India a handsome win to start their Test season.
 

Bangladesh started the match on top in the first two sessions of the game, but Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja led India’s fightback. Jasprit Bumrah’s destructive bowling helped India take the upper hand after the first innings. In the second innings, the returning Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill scored magnificent centuries before Ashwin and Jadeja once again took the spotlight with the ball to seal Bangladesh’s fate in the game.
 

But how did these heroes perform in numbers during the first Test against Bangladesh? Let’s take a look.
 

Ravichandran Ashwin (113 runs and 6 wickets)
 

One of the biggest match-winners for India in Tests in the last decade and the eventual player of the match in the first Test against Bangladesh, Ravichandran Ashwin was the one who started the Indian fightback in the first innings. He came out to bat when the team was reeling at 144 for 6 and added 199 runs for the seventh wicket with Ravindra Jadeja to get the hosts back on track. He scored a magnificent knock of 113 runs, completing his 6th Test century. India was once again in trouble during Bangladesh’s chase, and the 38-year-old once again raised his hand, picking 6 wickets for 88 runs in the second innings, helping India go 1-0 up in the series.
 

Ravindra Jadeja (86 runs and 5 wickets)
 

One of the most consistent all-rounders in the longest format in recent years, Ravindra Jadeja was once again ready to show his class during the first Test in Chennai. The all-rounder first added 86 important runs with the bat in the first innings before picking two wickets in the first innings and three wickets in the second innings, cementing India’s home dominance in Test cricket even further. The spinner is now just one wicket away from his 300th Test wicket.
 

Rishabh Pant (148 runs)
 

Making his Test return after almost two years, Rishabh Pant made a statement that he is still one of the most dangerous batters in red-ball cricket with a crucial 39-run knock in the first innings and a brilliant 109 runs in the second. Pant suffered a horrific road accident in 2022, after which he was forced to stay away from cricket for more than 400 days. But the southpaw made a strong return, helping India win the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup before bashing Bangladeshi bowlers all around the park in Chennai to mark his Test return. Pant’s form will come as a huge boost for Team India, who will be visiting Australia for a five-match Test series later this year.
 

Shubman Gill (119 runs)
 

The 25-year-old batter was under the crosshairs of critics following his eight-ball duck in the first innings. However, Gill made a strong comeback, completing his 5th Test century in the second innings with an unbeaten knock of 119 runs, proving why he is so highly regarded among the younger generation of players. Gill now has two half-centuries and two centuries in his last four innings, which proves the youngster is indeed the future of Indian batting.
 

Jasprit Bumrah (5 wickets)
 

The star Indian pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, was once again on the money with the ball during the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. The pacer first ripped apart the Bangladeshi batting order with 4 wickets in the first innings, before making the opening for Ashwin and Jadeja to wreak havoc in the second innings by dismissing opener Zakir Hasan (32) and ending his 62-run partnership with Shadman Islam (35), starting the downfall of the Bangladeshi batters in a mammoth 515-run chase.