Captain Rohit Sharma failed to lead his team from the front on the first day of the ongoing first Test between India and Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
He was not the only batsman to put in a disappointing performance as most of India’s batsmen failed to impress on the opening day. Hasan Mahmud bowled out India’s top order by taking three wickets in the first session. He dismissed Rohit Sharma first, sending the veteran opener back for just 6 runs.
Mahmud then also dismissed Shubman Gill (0) and Virat Kohli (6) cheaply to reduce India to 34 for 3. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant then halted the streak with a 62-run stand for the fourth wicket. Mahmud broke the stand by dismissing Pant for 39 after the lunch break.
Jaiswal and KL Rahul then added 48 runs before both departed in quick succession to leave India six down for 144. Jaiswal departed after scoring 56 while Rahul scored 16. At 144/6, India were firmly on the back foot. However, they managed to bounce back and ended the day at an imposing 339/6.
Following the team’s strong comeback, captain Rohit Sharma was seen sweating on the ground. Soon after the match ended, Rohit Sharma, along with other players and coaches, was seen running around the field.
He was seen walking around the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the company of batting coach Abhishek Nayar. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill were also seen running side by side.
Watch Rohit Sharma and others train after the end of the day’s play:
-Nihari Korma (@NihariVsKorma) September 19, 2024
Meanwhile, the architects of India’s brilliant comeback in the second half of the day were Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. They shared an unbeaten stand of 195 runs to bail the team out of trouble. Ashwin was unbeaten on 102 runs while Jadeja was batting on 86 runs as the day’s action came to a close.
The century was Ashwin’s fourth century in a Test at home and second on his home ground. In 2021, he had scored a fine century against England in the Chennai Test. With Ashwin and Jadeja well prepared, India will be hoping that they will guide them to a big score on the second day.