Wasim Jaffer led the way with a brilliant century as India produced a dominant batting display against Bangladesh on Day 1 of the second and final Test, at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka, on Friday.
The Mumbai opener played a solid knock of 138 before being forced to retire due to cramps as India amassed 326 for no loss in 90 overs.
After the 'pair' he bagged in the first Test in Chittagong, Jaffer certainly made up for the embarrassment while hitting 17 boundaries in his 229-ball essay before being replaced by Sachin Tendulkar.
Indeed, it was India all the way after Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar won the toss and opted to field, a decision he must be already ruing.
The day started off with Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik playing out the first session with relative caution before unleashing in post-lunch. The duo added 175 runs for the opening wicket before Karthik retired because of cramps after scoring 82.
Rahul Dravid also made most of getting to make first use of the batting track, scoring an unbeaten 88. At the other end, at stumps, Tendulkar was not out on 9.
India made one change to the team that played in the rain-ruined, drawn first Test, handing 18-year-old Ishant Sharma his Test debut. He replaced V R V Singh.
Bangladesh brought in the pace duo of Mohammad Sharif and Syed Rasel in place of Shahadat Hossain and Enamul Haque Jr. respectively.
Morning session: (26 overs , 67 runs, 0 wicket)
Wasim Jaffer finally got his first runs of the series when he flicked for a single through square leg in the second over of the innings. The India opener was dismissed without scoring in his previous two innings in the first Test in Dhaka and it was obvious he was keen to get off the mark.
He and Dinesh Karthik, the openers, started solidly with a mix of caution and controlled aggression, which included some sweetly-timed shots on both sides of the wicket.
Karthik struggled a bit at the start as he edged a couple of deliveries from left-arm seamer Syed Rasel, one falling short while the other was dropped by Saqibul Hasan at second slip in the eighth over of the innings.
Jaffer, on the other hand, seemed determined to make up for his twin failures in Chittagong as he unleashed a few sweetly-timed drives.
Mohammad Sharif was introduced in the 11th over, his first Test after a gap of more than five years. Only 21 years of age, he looked ordinary and posed no real problems for the batsman with his medium pacers.
India progressed to 50 for no loss after 18 overs as Mohammad Rafique was introduced into the attack. The openers were so much at ease that one began to wonder what the curator really meant by extra bounce and help for the seamers early on. Even the spinners didn't get any help and it was quite clear that the pitch was a batsman's dream.
It turned out to be a perfect session for the visitors as they reached 67 for no loss at lunch in 26 overs that were sent down.
Except for the dropped chance of Karthik, the bowlers didn't really pose any major problems.
Jaffer and Karthik were unbeaten on 40 and 22 respectively, the partnership setting a strong foundation for a huge total.
Jaffer looked in good touch, hitting six boundaries in his 75-ball knock. His timing seemed to get better with every passing moment at the wicket. Karthik was a picture of concentration and once again showed that he has all the requisites of a good opener. He struggled a bit early on, especially against the left-armer Rasel, but held on well, hitting three boundaries in 84 deliveries.
Post-lunch session: (26.5 overs, 108 runs, 0 wickets)
The start of the second session could have been perfect for the homes side but for a dropped catch. Jaffer, on 42, hit one straight back to the bowler, but Rafique messed up an easy return catch.
Karthik seemed more positive after lunch, hitting three consecutive boundaries off Mortaza in the next over. The first two were beautifully driven on either side of the stumps, as straight as you could get, and the third through the fine leg region.
Suddenly the problems compounded for Bangladesh as Mortaza, in his next over, the 30th of the innings, felt uncomfortable and walked away into the dressing room. If he is unavailable to take further part in the innings, it could be a death blow for the hosts on this beautiful batting track.
Jaffer reached his half-century in style when he pulled one through the mid-wicket region. In fact, the same shot had cost him his wicket in the second innings in Chittagong, but here it brought up his seventh half-century in Test cricket.
Karthik also crossed the fifty-run mark in the next over, courtesy a powerful driven cover shot. It was his fourth half-century in Tests. He was in a completely different mood after lunch, hitting 30 runs in 25 deliveries including five boundaries-- to bring up the milestone.
Bangladesh were paying for Karthik's dropped catch when he was on 10.
In the first hour after the lunch break, India reached 140 for no loss after 41 overs, having added 73 runs in 15 overs. Karthik was instrumental in providing the spurt in the run-rate, having smashed 52 runs off 47 balls, including boundaries after lunch.
A few readers commented in the message board below the report that India's start was slow. But it was the right approach. Karthik and Jaffer ensured that they successfully negotiated the new ball without any damage, for they knew that batting in the next sessions would be easier and were proved right.
The 21-year-old was again lucky on 74 when he tried a cut shot, but missed and the appeal for caught behind by Sharif was turned down by umpire Daryl Harper. Television replays showed the batsman had got a thin edge.
Bangladesh then slowed the tempo of the innings as they spread the field. But Karthik and Jaffer used their heads and collected singles whenever on offer.
The afternoon heat finally took its toll as Karthik collapsed with cramps. Physio John Gloster rushed to the field and the umpires realizing it would take time, called for tea.
At the break, India reached a comfortable 175 for no loss in 52.5 overs. Karthik was unbeaten on 82 from 153 deliveries, inclusive of 12 boundaries.
Jaffer was also going strong, not out on 86, having hit 11 boundaries in his 168-ball knock.
The two openers totally dominated in the session, scoring 108 runs in 26.5 overs at nearly four runs per over. A total of 14 boundaries were hit in the session, with Karthik smashing nine of them as he took on the bowlers after the lunch break.
India will now be hoping for a perfect end to the day with another good batting display in the final session.
Post-Tea session: (37.5 overs, 151 runs, 0 wickets)
Karthik did not come out to bat after tea. Instead, it was Dravid who walked to the middle. The 21-year-old had a pretty bad attack of cramps and was lifted off the ground during the tea break. Since the opener had done the job required of him, the team management didn't want to risk injury by sending him out again.
Dravid must have been pleased to get use of a pitch that saw his openers have a ball. The Indian captain carried off in Karthik style as he started off positively hitting three boundaries to race to 20.
Jaffer, meanwhile, coasted to his century, his fourth in Tests, with a stylish flick through midwicket off Rafique in the 61st over. He reached the landmark off 185 deliveries, inclusive of 13 boundaries, and never even once looked tired or affected by the heat and humidity. In fact, he seemed intent to playing a big knock. What a comeback it was by the Mumbai opener after that unforgettable 'pair' in Chittagong.
It was now Dravid's turn to make merry. Surely, he was not going to let the opportunity slip. He hit three boundaries in a single over off Rafique that were special. A flick through mid-wicket, followed by a cut shot off a short delivery and, finally, a sweetly-timed boundary through covers in the 65th over piled further misery on the hapless bowlers.
The hour after tea produced 67 runs in 13.1 overs, at nearly five runs per over, as India looked to extend their domination.
But then the weather took its toll on the batsmen. Jaffer followed his opening partner to the dressing room after retiring with cramps. The Mumbai opener batted for nearly five hours in trying conditions, scoring 138 runs in 229 balls inclusive of 17 boundaries, adding 106 runs with Dravid.
Jaffer was replaced by his Mumbai team mate Sachin Tendulkar, who must also have been delighted to get a knock on this dream batting wicket.
India crossed 300 without loss and yet there were four different batsmen, who took strike today.
Dravid continued to pulverize the Bangladesh bowlers with some delightful strokeplay. The bowlers seemed more content in going through the motions as there was nothing they could do to stop the marauding batsmen.
Dravid played aggressively throughout his innings, ensuring his team finished the day on a strong note. The Indian captain was unbeaten on 88 from 129 balls, hitting 11 boundaries and a six.
India finished the day on 326 for no loss in 90 overs. Tendulkar opted to bat with caution and remained not out on 9 from 31 deliveries.
It was a perfect batting strip which the Indian batsmen made the most of. In fact, they must be thanking Bashar for allowing them first use. They will ensure that they carry on the good work tomorrow and work their way towards a big first innings score in the hope of batting only once in the match.
