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Bangladesh left to rue missed chances

06:58PM Thu 9 Feb, 2017

"I think there will be moments where we will have the upperhand. Hopefully, the boys are mentally tough for that and hopefully that [when] that moment will come, we'll just be able to grab them."
Mushfiqur Rahim had spelled out a clear success mantra in his pre-match press conference. But little did he, or his teammates anticipate, that the aforementioned 'moment' would come as early as the first session of the Test match after losing the toss. A lazy attempted drive outside off-stump from KL Rahul had given Bangladesh a breakthrough inside the first over. Taskin Ahmed, the wicket-taker, and his seam-bowling partner Kamrul Islam Rabbi worked up good pace and with some early-morning assistance from the wicket, had kept India's batsmen on a leash for a good portion of the opening hour.
Then Rabbi, midway through his workman-like eight-over first spell, got a delivery to shape across Cheteshwar Pujara, then on 11, and found the outside edge. It flew towards first slip but Pujara's soft-handed push meant it was never going to reach Shakib Al Hasan. Mushfiqur, the captain-keeper who'd foreseen this moment, the captain-keeper who'd identified a major impediment in team's slip catching towards sustained success in Tests, had to move across to his right to take it. Except he didn't. He stood transfixed to his spot, as did the first slip fielder and the chance went begging.
Having missed a chance himself, there was little Mushfiqur could do, besides offer a furious glare, when Mehedi Hasan spilled a half-volley take off a Rabbi throw to effect what would have been the easiest of run-outs. Murali Vijay, then on 35, jogged back to the safety of his crease, and now content in the knowledge that the planets were aligned in his favour. Mushfiqur, Mehedi and a few others exchanged consolatory pats between overs, bracing themselves for the hard toil ahead. Two moments. Both gone. It cost them a 178-run second-wicket stand, 356 runs on the opening day, potentially wiping out any chance of forcing a win from here.
"Yes, if that run out had taken place, we could have had five-six wickets instead of three. Drop catches and run-out miss are part of game. We are hoping to start well tomorrow... that's all what we are thinking about right now," Taskin said in his assessment of the hinge moments of the day.
Historic occasions like these - Bangladesh ending a 17-year wait to play a Test in India - warrant a degree of emotional detachment. Bangladesh may want to address their overzealous approach in a format that is about patience and attrition as it is about being a front-runner and gung-ho performances. In their excitement and the need to make things happen, Bangladesh lost their discipline. After a wonderful start to the game, despite losing the toss, Bangladesh indulged themselves in exaggerated appeals to deliveries comfortably avoiding the bat's forcefield. They sought a DRS review for LBW against a Taijul Islam delivery that Kohli middled. It showcased their eagerness for acceptance, which was great, while also highlighting ineptness in certain key areas.
This inexperience found its way into their strategies too. On a fresh track, the short balls were carrying through nicely and the batsmen were happy swaying out or ducking under the bouncer. But once the pitch slowed and the batsmen began cracking the pull with authority, there was a need to switch to a Plan B. Instead the seamers stuck to their guns all the way, well into the second new-ball, and the 'half' short ball ploy, as it came to be called, ended up costing 65 runs from the final nine overs. Instead of reaching a score around 300, India cruised to 356 for 3.
"If the score was 300, it would have been good. Now that it has happened, we will try to start afresh tomorrow," said Taskin. "On these kind of wickets, bowlers have to be patient. If you bowl short, wide or half volley they are going to score easily, we have to bowl a tight line and length according to the field then we can survive here. The bouncers in the start, they carried well. But after the wicket got slow, the half short balls went for boundaries. If you bowl completely full then they are easily driving, you have to bowl in good length," he reasoned.
Acceptance of an error can go a long way towards adopting corrective measures. It'll be a great starting point for Courtney Walsh, the bowling coach himself, when he preps the bowling attack for the remainder of the game.
"On such a wicket, we are new players. Yes today we bowled too many short balls maybe that's why there were many runs, maybe because we bowled short balls in New Zealand. The two conditions are different. So maybe that's why," reckoned Taskin.
"Honestly speaking, for me this is a new experience but this is a matter of patience. Because you have to bowl with patience, when it doesn't swing then you have to try to reverse swing, I tried to reverse the ball, but they are the number one team and they handled it well, this is a completely new experience. Personally, I am not happy with the last two overs of mine, I hope to bowl better tomorrow," he added.
As Taskin said in his frank assessment, Bangladesh's bowlers 'weren't bad'. Far from it, actually. They just needed better direction, both literally and figuratively, and calmer heads.