Bangladesh hand India advantage in second Test after late collapse

Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin pick up four wickets each to restrict hosts to 227

India's Ravichandran Ashwin, left, and Rishabh Pant, center, celebrate the dismissal of Bangladesh's Mominul Haque, right, during the first day of the second cricket test match between Bangladesh and India, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. (AP Photo / Surjeet Yadav)

Bangladesh's Mominul Haque top-scored on Thursday. AP

India's Umesh Yadav appeals successfully for the wicket of Bangladesh's Nurul Hasan. AFP

India’s Jaydev Unadkat, second left, made a comeback to the Test team after 12 years. AFP

India’s Umesh Yadav after dismissing Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. AFP

India's players celebrates the wicket of Bangladesh's Zakir Hasan. AP

India's Shubman Gill bats during the first day. AP

India's bowlers staged a late recovery to restrict Bangladesh to 227 on the opening day of the second Test in Mirpur and gain the upper hand in the two-match series on Thursday.

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up four wickets each to cut Bangladesh's innings short after they had reached 213-5.

Bowling first on a lively surface, India's seamers beat the bat regularly but Bangladesh openers Najmul Hossain and Zakir Hasan survived the early burst.

India made a surprise move by dropping spinner Kuldeep Yadav, whose match haul of eight wickets in their comprehensive victory in Chattogram earned him the player-of-the-match award.

Jaydev Unadkat was picked instead and the left-arm seamer, playing in his second Test 12 years after his first, drew first blood by removing Zakir for 15.

Zakir, who hit a century in his Test debut in Chattogram, could have been dismissed for a golden duck but Mohammed Siraj dropped him in the deep in the second over of the day.

Najmul (24) was trapped lbw by Ashwin (4-71) after offering no shot to a ball that hit him below the knee roll. Shakib Al Hasan (16) survived a stumping opportunity before lunch but could not capitalise on it and fell to the first ball after the break.

Mushfiqur Rahim (26) was dismissed by Unadkat – the most threatening bowler for India – and Litton Das made a run-a-ball 25 before chipping an Ashwin delivery to Rahul at midwicket.

Yadav (4-25) dented the Bangladesh lower order and Ashwin removed Mominul and Khaled Ahmed in the space of three balls as Bangladesh wilted in 74 overs.

Mominul, who relinquished the captaincy in May after overseeing a string of defeats, hit 12 fours and a six before his bizarre dismissal. The batsman lunged forward but then decided to leave the ball from Ashwin, which brushed his glove on its way to the keeper.

In reply, India reached 19 for no loss before bad light brought a premature end to the day with six overs remaining. Shubman Gill was batting on 14 with captain Rahul on three after surviving a leg-before decision.

The day will, however, be remembered for the comeback of Unadkat. The left-arm seamer made his debut against South Africa at Centurion in 2010, when the Proteas smashed over 600 and won by an innings. He was sidelined from red ball cricket thereafter but after several successful seasons for his state Saurashtra, he forced his way back into the team.

He finished with 2-50 on Thursday, but could have easily picked up more. Unadkat got the ball to move appreciably both ways, and got the most out of the pitch. His deliveries jumped off the surface on occasions too.

“It is very frustrating,” Bangladesh batting coach Jamie Siddons said. “We work hard. We talk about when you’re in, you need to stay in. You have to make sure of a big score when you get a start.

“People made mental errors again when they were set. The ball was spinning but the pace bowlers weren’t getting a great deal of help. To let Umesh get four wickets was very disappointing.”

Pacer Yadav agreed that the hosts did not show enough patience.

“The Bangladesh batters got starts but you have to be patient on this kind of a wicket. I think they played too many shots,” Yadav said.

“They are trying to play positive cricket because that is their style. We just bowled in the right areas.”