Rishabh Pant's Triumphic Return And...? 3 Takeaways From India's Win Vs Bangladesh In 1st Test
Pant slammed a Test century on his return [x]
Team India registered an emphatic victory against Bangladesh in the first Test at Chennai on Sunday. It was a clinical performance from Rohit Sharma's men, who thoroughly outplayed the Tigers and won the game by 280 runs to lead the series 1-0.
There were several stars who contributed towards India's win. From Ravichandran Ashwin's heroic hundred to Rishabh Pant's counter-attacking knock, the team had several performances which led to yet another convincing win on home soil.
With the first Test over, we look at the 3 biggest takeaways from India's brilliant win in the Chennai Test match.
Rishabh Pant's triumphic Test return after 634 days
The entire world stopped when it was reported that Rishabh Pant had suffered a horrific injury and was involved in a car accident. There were doubts that he won't be able to play cricket ever again, but fast forward 634 days later, and Pant was back at his best, smashing the bowlers in Test cricket.
When Pant was out of the side due to the horrific injury, Team India replacrd him with Dhruv Jurel, but despite the youngster performing well, there was a void left which no one could fill in.
He couldn't score a big one in the first innings, but when the chips were down, Pant responded with a quick-fire hundred and virtually knocked Bangladesh out of the game. In Tests, Pant is a valuable asset, and Team India need a fully-fit Pant in this format, especially with the Border-Gavaskar series looming on the heads.
Kohli, Rohit's form ahead of BGT, a cause of worry for India
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are two of the most experienced players in the team, but they failed to deliver the goods in the first Test match. In Indian conditions, their run-scoring absence isn't felt because the middle and lower middle-order batters always exceed expectations.
However, in away conditions, the top order needs to perform. Team India will travel to Australia for a gruelling 5-match Test series, and in those tough conditions, India need their best batters - Kohli and Rohit to deliver the goods.
Rohit, especially looked vulnerable against the moving ball in both the innings, and needs to sort it out before the second Test match. Kohli, on the other hand, needs to improve his spin-game, especially against the left-arm spinners.
Nobody can fill in R Ashwin's shoes in Indian cricket
Even at the age of 38, R Ashwin is still irreplacebale in Indian cricket. Not only with the ball, but Ashwin provides great value with the bat as well, and it was evident in the first innings when he scored a stunning century.
In subcontinent conditions, Ashwin provides more value than Kohli, and Rohit, and is certainly the main man for the Indian side. His bowling is also India's biggest strength in spin-friendly sub-continent conditions, and in the current Indian domestic setup, there is no off-spinner who can replace him.
He is the real 3-D player, who contributes in all departments of the game, and has excelled really well.