Tigers timid on day one

A baffling batting display from Bangladesh, which saw most of their batters throw their wickets away bar Mominul Haque, saw them end the first day of their second and final Test against India on the back foot.

After being bowled out for 227, Bangladesh ended the day leading by 208 runs as India stayed unscathed with 19 runs on board. Among the Bangladesh batters, only Mominul could manage to score some substantial sum as he ended on 84, comfortably the top scorer. All the other batters, including skipper Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, and Najmul Hossain Shanto, got set but failed to take advantage of that.

Expectedly, that was met with disgruntlement from batting coach Jamie Siddons. “It is very frustrating. 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.

“It was a little bit like Chattogram, with three or four guys getting twenties. Other guys getting 15s and 16s, and only one guy doing the job for us. We are not getting match-winning scores doing that. People made mental errors again when they were set,” Siddons said in a press conference after the day’s play.

More than getting out after getting their feet in, it was the manner that the batters left more discontent.

Shakib, on the first ball after lunch, came down the wicket and tried smashing Umesh Yadav over mid-off, but only succeeded in delivering a dolly to Cheteshwar Pujara.

Mushfiq fell to a great delivery from Jaydev Unadkat, who had his own story by playing a Test 12 years after his debut, but Liton once again displayed some fine shots and then just meaninglessly chipped the ball to short mid-wicket off Ravichandran Ashwin’s bowling.

Najmul might consider himself un lucky with his wicket as he was sent back after DRS replays suggested that the ball would have barely grazed the stumps, but it was enough as he was given out on-field.

Mominul must be mad at himself for missing out on a well-deserved century when he left his gloves hanging out facing Ashwin, which led to the ball finding a tickle and his wicket.

“It is disappointing as senior players are making mental errors. He (Shakib) was walking down the wicket to spinners and pace bowlers anyway, just to change their lengths. Straight after lunch, the bowler is also going to be rusty. He could have gotten some bad bowling if he stayed in the crease. It was his decision. It was frustrating for me to watch players make those mistakes,” Siddons explained his frustration with Shakib’s dismissal.

Bangladesh were at one point 213-5, with Mominul and Mehidy Hasan Miraz batting, but five wickets for 14 runs, despite having also Nurul Hasan Sohan in the ranks, meant they could not manage a total that would have given them the upper hand.  We should have got 300 easy. We lost 5 for 14 in the end. There were probably 40-50 runs in those five wickets, especially when three of those were batters. We are 70 behind par. The Bangladesh batting coach said.