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1st Test: Ishant, Shami And Umesh Trouble Bangladesh’s Top Order

India's pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami took a wicket each and reduced Bangladesh to 63/3 at lunch on Day 1.

India’s pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami took a wicket each and reduced Bangladesh to 63/3 at lunch on Day 1 of the Indore Test after visiting captain Mominul Haque opted to bat at the Holkar Stadium on Thursday.

Ishant and Shami struck in quick succession to remove openers Imrul Kayes and Shadman Islam before Mohammed Shami dismissed Mohammad Mithun to leave Bangladesh reeling at 34/3. Mushfiqur Rahim and skipper Mominul weathered the storm and added 32 crucial runs off 48 balls to provide some stability to Bangladesh after their top order was rocked.

Bangladesh’s first runs came in the fourth over. Islam fetched himself a streaky boundary that flew off the outside edge of his bat. Kayes drove a beautiful cover drive off Yadav for his first boundary but two balls later the pacer got his man. After beating his edge on numerous occasions before, Umesh squared up Kayes, who offered a catch to Ajinkya Rahane at first slips.

Six balls later, Ishant got once to bounce, to which Islam offered a feather, nicking it to Wriddhiman Saha. From there, India’s pacers made Bangladesh hop, jump and evade. Mithun survived an LBW shout when he was on 4 with the ball jagging back in and hitting him on the stumps. But since the point of contact was outside off, the umpire’s on-field decision stayed relevant.

Shami didn’t stay too far behind. He bowled a fuller delivery which shaped back into Mithun and he was given out. Bangladesh could have been in further trouble had India not let go a couple of sharp chances. R Ashwin, in his second over, almost had a wicket when Mominul, trying to cut the ball too close, edged it but the ball flew past Rahane at first slip. Towards the end of the session, Virat Kohli dropped a relatively simple chance at third slip when Mushfiqur pushed the ball away from him body.

Bangladesh sustained some momentum with Mominul scoring three boundaries in a space of four balls and Rahim kind of getting his eye in.

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