India steamroll Bangladesh to sweep series

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Hosts consolidate Test Championship lead

KOLKATA, India, Nov 24, (RTRS): Umesh Yadav struck three times as India took less than an hour on day three to complete formalities and bulldoze Bangladesh by an innings and 46 runs in the second and final Test for a 2-0 series sweep on Sunday.

Having barely managed to avoid a defeat inside two days, Bangladesh resumed on 152-6, hoping to score another 89 runs to avoid a second successive innings defeat.

But once Mushfiqur Rahim fell for 74, the highest by a Bangladesh batsman in the one-sided match, the game was effectively over for them.

Bangladesh, skittled out for 106 in the first innings, managed 195 in the second as India registered their 12th consecutive home series victory to consolidate their lead in the World Test Championship points table.

Mahmudullah, who retired hurt on Saturday with a hamstring injury, did not come out to bat for Bangladesh.

Umesh claimed 5-53, while Ishant Sharma returned 4-56 to go with his five-wicket haul in the first innings.

Ishant bagged both the man-of-the-match and player-of-the-series awards.

India captain Virat Kohli singled out his pace attack for their sizzling form.

“These guys can take wickets on any surface, be it at home or away,” Kohli said.

“They are very hungry and at the top of their game.”

India’s seventh straight Test victory was also their fourth successive innings win.

Bangladesh had to call in two concussion substitutes in the match after Liton Das and Nayeem Hasan sustained nasty blows to their helmets in the first innings.

Mominul Haque made a forgettable debut as Bangladesh’s new Test captain, scoring a pair of ducks in Kolkata.

“It’s very disappointing for everyone including me, we have to learn from this,” Mominul said after the drubbing.

“I think the pink ball is different when it’s a new ball and it was a little bit challenging.”

India had triumphed inside three days in the series opener in Indore.

There was a buzz around India’s maiden pink-ball Test with near-capacity crowd on the first two days of the contest.

“We didn’t think so many would turn up today, given we were in a position to end it early,” Kohli said.

“To have so many people witnessing an India win is special.”

India are open to playing a day-night test in Australia next year but there has to be proper planning, skipper Virat Kohli said after his team won their maiden pink-ball test against Bangladesh on Sunday.

India declined Australia’s offer to play a day-night test in Adelaide last year, citing lack of experience, but took a little over two days to clinch their first pink-ball test, thrashing Bangladesh by an innings and 46 runs in Kolkata.

With day-night tests seen as a possible solution to test cricket’s dwindling attendances, Australia are hopeful that India will agree to play one at the Gabba next year.

Kohli, however, said it could not be on short notice.

“There has to be planning for a pink-ball game,” Kohli said, pointing to the struggle of a Bangladesh team whose pink-ball inexperience was laid bare in their comprehensive defeat in Kolkata.

“We played on home conditions. You ask Bangladesh and they’d have liked a practice game before this game.

“Just because we know these conditions and our bowlers are bowling so well, we don’t really feel the challenge…”

“A good practice game before that and enough time to prepare, we’re open to anything. You can’t just play it on a short notice.”

Pink balls are used in all day-night tests for visibility reasons, but behave differently to the red ones, with players having commented that they swing more and do not spin as much.

Kohli smashed 136 before India declared their first innings on 347-9 and his quicks wreaked havoc with the heavily-lacquered ball to rout Bangladesh.

Kohli revealed how they tweaked their approach to the first two sessions after a suggestion from batting great Sachin Tendulkar to overcome the challenge of batting under lights.

“I spoke to him on the evening of the first day and he made a very interesting point – that with the pink ball, you have to treat the second session like the morning session of a normal test when it’s getting darker and the ball starts to swing and seam,” he said.

“So your planning changes, your declaration strategy and timing, everything changes. As a batsman, your setup changes.

“Even if you are set and batting well, as soon as it gets dark and lights are on, you can be in trouble.”

Players from both sides spoke about the challenge of batting under lights and Kohli felt at times, the atmosphere at the heaving Eden Gardens resembled that of a Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 match.

“Under lights, it was a different experience. The first time when I walked out, it felt like an IPL game atmosphere,” he said.

“So you feel like smashing the first ball but then you have to remind yourself that you have to play compact.”

India vs Bangladesh Scoreboard

KOLKATA, Nov 24, (RTRS): Scoreboard at close of play on the third day of 2nd Test between India and Bangladesh on Sunday.

BANGLADESH 1st Innings 106 (S. Islam 29; L. Das 24; I. Sharma 5-22)

INDIA 1st Innings 347 decl. (V. Kohli 136; C. Pujara 55; A. Hossain 3-85)

BANGLADESH 2nd Innings

S. Islam lbw I. Sharma    0

Kayes c Kohli b I. Sharma              5

Haque c Saha b I. Sharma             0

Mithun c Shami b U. Yadav          6

Rahim c Jadeja b U. Yadav            74

Mahmudullah retired hurt           39

Hasan c Kohli b I. Sharma              15

Islam c Rahane b U.Yadav             11

Hossain c Kohli b U. Yadav            0

Hossain c Saha b U. Yadav            21

Jayed not out    2

Extras: (8b, 9lb, 5w)        22

Total: (all out, 41.1 overs)             195

Fall of Wickets: 1-0 (S. Islam), 2-2 (Haque), 3-9 (Mithun), 4-13 (Kayes), 5-133 (M. Hasan), 6-152 (T. Islam), 7-152 (E. Hossain), 8-184 (Rahim), 9-195 (A. Hossain)

Did Not Bat: N. Hasan

Bowling: I. Sharma 13-2-56-4, U. Yadav 14.1-1-53-5, Shami 8-0-42-0, Ashwin 5-0-19-0, Jadeja 1-0-8-0

Match Result: India win by an innings and 46 runs

Umpires: Marais Erasmus, Joel Wilson

TV Umpire: Rodney Tucker

Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle

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