Flash Points of Test II: India vs Bangladesh

iSporter Pramit Bhat makes his debut by giving the highlights of the second test between India & Bangladesh. He analyzes the five day game in his own style! Read on!

Indian_Team

This wasn't supposed to be a competitive series but India did their best to make it one - and, in the process, made it more competitive.

* Virender Sehwag's pre-series salvo, At the end of it, he even reiterated his pre-series stance of Bangladesh being an "ordinary side". He didn't hit a hundred but didn't fail either, always getting good starts
* Indian batsmen collapse on the first day of the 1st test match & their uneasiness against bouncers in the second Test.
* Ishant Sharma finding some confidence
* Number of injuries.
* The stalemate continues between Ojha and Mishra.

rahul_dravid_injury

* An opportunity lost for Dinesh Karthik.
* Murali Vijay spends time in the middle order.
* Gambhir almost completed a Bradmanesque feat.
* Zaheer Khan's furious nine-ball spell on the last day.
* Sachin Tendulkar increasing his hundreds tally.

Tendulkar

Bangladesh weren't ruthlessly exposed by the No. 1 Test side, but were let down by their own weakness. In the first Test, India gave them every chance to get on top but they succumbed. In the second, they fought back thrillingly but collapsed right at the moment when they were about to go past India.

* Tamim Iqbal kept threatening to waste starts, but in the end he thrilled all with a sparkling hundred in Chittagong!
* Shakib Al Hasan maintained admirable dignity when the press tried to bait him on the Sehwag issue, but a frank admission of why they lost the plot in the second innings made him a villain in the end.
* Mushfiqur Rahim is called as a schoolboy by the Indian teams. He looks likes one and there is a sense of impishness to his constant chatter while keeping. His batting, though, was one of the high points of the series for the hosts. He hit a sparkling maiden ton in the second innings of the 1st test.

Rahim

* Mahmudullah's batting has thrilled the fans. There was a sense of clarity in his batting which was missing in much of the top order and it probably won't be long before he is pushed up the order.

* Shahadat Hossain is back. He bowled his heart out in the second, constantly surprising the Indians with his bounce. He even chipped in with a thrilling counter-attacking innings in the last Test.

That's all folks! Signing off!

hossain