IND vs BAN, 1st Test: 3 Things That Resulted In The Massive Defeat Of Bangladesh

Bangladesh [X]Bangladesh [X]

Bangladesh suffered a 280-run defeat against India in the first two-Test series at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. They came into this series after a sensational 2-0 series win over Pakistan on their home soil. The expectation was that the Bangladeshi team would put up such a fight against India. However, it did not turn out to be true. 

Although India outclassed their neighbours in the end, there were moments where Bangladesh could have tightened their grip to take advantage in the match, or atleast put up a better fight against the hosts. Here are three reasons why Bangladesh suffered the massive defeat against India - 

3. Ineffectiveness of their spinners 

After the pacers gave a brilliant start to Bangladesh on the first day, the spinners failed to build on that pressure. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan bowled 29 overs among themselves, conceding 127 runs while picking up only one wicket. 

Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin scored at 4.37 runs per over against the spin twin of Bangladesh. On the other hand, when Jadeja and Ashwin were bowling in the first innings, they conceded 48 runs from 21 overs while picking up two wickets. Thus, even though they were not picking up wickets, they kept the pressure on the batters, not allowing them to escape. 

Even in the second innings, when the spinners had more help, Miraz and Hasan gave away runs at an economy of 4.79 while picking up only a couple of wickets. On the other hand, Ashwin and Jadeja accounted for nine Bangladeshi wickets in the second innings while maintaining an economy of 4.03. There is a massive difference in the performance of the two teams' spin duos, and it was the one of the biggest factors leading to India's massive win. 

2. Failure of the middle-order

In the first innings of both teams, the track was conducive for the pacers. The movement available for the seamers with the new ball was bound to account for a few early wickets, which is precisely what happened in the case of both Bangladesh and India. However, the Indian middle-order showed the guts and resilience to fight it out and bail their team out of trouble. On the other hand, the Bangladesh middle-order comprising experienced and dependable names like Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Litton Das failed to stand up to the challenge. The fragileness of the middle-order in the first innings put the visitors way behind in the game, and they had little chance of making a comeback in the second innings. 

1.The overall failure of Shakib Al Hasan

If you look at the two teams, you will find that Shakib Al Hasan had a similar role for Bangladesh as Ravichandran Ashwin did for India. Coming in to bat at number seven, Shakib was expected to absorb the pressure and get the team out of trouble just as Ashwin did. Similarly, with bowling, he was expected to create pressure in the first innings and take the strike bowler role in the second innings. 

However, Shakib managed to score 32 and 25 in the two innings and gave away free runs to the Indian batters without picking up a single wicket in the match. This big letdown from an experienced campaigner like Shakib dented the team’s confidence, and they failed to stand up to the challenge India presented them.