Bangladesh bowlers expose Indian batting

Scorecard: India vs Bangladesh, 1st Test, Chittagong

Discipline and dedication helped Bangladesh take the opening day's honours in the first Test against India at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium in Chittagong on Sunday.

At stumps, the visitors were precariously placed at 213 for eight, with Sachin Tendulkar, unbeaten on 76, waging a lone battle. 

Keeping him company was Ishant Sharma, on one.

Having won the toss and put the visitors into bat, the hosts struggled a bit at the start but dominated proceedings from the second session, consigning their guests deep in the doldrums.

If the Bangladesh bowlers stuck to their tasks by bowling a tight line, they were also helped in their cause by some reckless Indian batting -- complacency being one of the reasons behind the listless effort.

India, having made a good start (63 without loss at lunch), lost the plot post-lunch. The second session of the day fetched India only 97 runs while ensuring six vital wickets for Bangladesh.

Virender Sehwag, India's stand-in captain, had on the eve of the match said Bangladesh is an ordinary Test side, did not didn't have the ability to take 20 wickets and his team will not have much of problem playing them.

At close of play on day one he was left eating his words, as the hosts made a mockery of the famed Indian batting line-up and their reputation as the world's No 1 Test team.

And leading the hosts' charge was their skipper Shakib Al Hasan, along with Shahadat Hossain, both snapping four wickets apiece to tighten the noose around the opposition.

However, amidst the Indian batting ruins stood tall a man named Tendulkar.

His 55th half-century in Tests not only held the innings together for India but also enabled him (when on 30) surpass 13,000 Test runs.

The Master Blaster's resilient knock was laced with six hits to the fence and a huge one over it -- a shot that saw India surpass the 200-run mark.

Morning session ( 63 runs, 13 overs, no wicket):

Earlier, India got off to a steady start after being put into bat.

The start of play was delayed by about an hour-and-a-half due to poor visibility but once it commenced Sehwag and Gambhir got into the business with immediate effect, with the former displaying his attacking instinct from the outset.

At lunch, which was taken only after 13 overs, India was comfortably placed at 63 without loss.

It was the third successive fifty partnership from what is arguably India's best opening pair.

Post-lunch session: (97 runs, 32 overs, six wickets)

Sehwag (52) and Gautam Gambhir (23) fell in the space of three balls and Rahul Dravid (4) followed soon after to give the hosts had the upper hand. India was reduced from 79 runs without loss to 85 for three in the space of just 17 balls.

VVS Laxman (7), too, didn't survive long. Shakib beat him in the flight and Mushfiqur did a smart bit of work behind the stumps.

In the over after lunch (the 14th), Sehwag reached the half-century mark for the 20th time in his Test career with a boundary between backward point and slips (off Hossain).

The Indian captain went from his score at lunch (38) to his half century with three boundaries off four balls, and his innings -- oming off just 45 balls -- was the fastest fifty by an Indian against Bangladesh.

The first over after lunch (Hossain's) cost the hosts' 15 runs. But the second got them the breakthrough they so desperately needed.

Sehwag, captaining the side in the absence of MS Dhoni (back spasm), was caught by Tamim Iqbal at short extra cover off Shakib Al Hasan.

He made 52 off just 51 balls, his innings laced with nine exquisite boundaries, but fell to trap that his Bangladesh counterpart had set for him -- by placing a short extra cover.

Two balls later, Gambhir edged a Hossain delivery and Mushfiqur Rahim made no mistake behind the stumps.

Soon after Hossain cleaned up Dravid to ensure a triple celebration for the hosts.

Tendulkar and Laxman put on 22 runs in a painstaking fourth wicket stand -- that took 65 balls -- before Laxman was beaten in the flight by a Shakib delivery.

Tendulkar himself was fortunate to survive in a few overs after Laxman's dismissal.

The Master Blaster, then on 16, nicked a Shafiul Islam delivery but Imrul Kayes couldn't hold on to it at first slip, and the ball raced to the fence instead.

The veteran and Yuvraj Singh (12) added 42 runs for the fifth wicket before the latter gifted his wicket away, hitting straight to the hands of Rubel Hossain at mid-on to ensure Shakib his third wicket.

There was more success for the hosts in the next over. A bowling change worked to their advantage when Hossain, brought back into the attack, struck with his third ball.

Dinesh Karthik (0) played a loose drive and Raqibul Hasan took a good catch at gully to ensure that India remained in the doldrums following a spectacular batting collapse after a good start.

However, Tendulkar kept alive their hopes, holding the innings together with a well made fifty.

After 45 overs (at tea), the visitors had been reduced to 160 for six, with Sachin Tendulkar batting on 50 and giving him company was Amit Mishra on five.

Post-tea session (53 runs, 18 overs, two wickets):

Bangladesh, having taken six wickets in the post-lunch session, tightened their stranglehold by taking another couple of wickets in the final session.

Amit Mishra (14) was trapped up front by Hossain to ensure the hosts their seventh success, and the bowler his fourth. India 182 for seven.

Hossain missed his fifth wicket by a whisker when Zaheer Khan (11) was dropped (on six) by Shafiul Islam at deep point.

However, Zaheer failed to make the most of his good fortune.

The left-armer survived just a couple of overs before ensuring Shakib his fourth wicket, by hitting straight to Raqibul Hasan at silly point. India 209 for eight in the 59th over.

Three overs later Tendulkar went for a pull (off Hossain) and got a top edge. But as three fielders converged, there was no communication whatsoever between them and the ball landed safely in front of them.

An over later, the umpires offered the batsmen light and they were more than willing to accept it.

Teams:

India: Virender Sehwag (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Amit Mishra, S Sreesanth, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ishant Sharma.

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Mohammad Ashraful, Raqibul Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Shahadat Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal.