Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 19 (ANI): At the conclusion of the first day of the inaugural Test match between India and Bangladesh in Chennai, Bangladesh pacer Hasan Mahmud shared insights into their strategy against India. Mahmud, who spearheads the Bangladesh bowling attack, delivered a stellar performance by claiming four wickets and conceding just 58 runs at an economy rate of 3.20.

During the post-day press conference, Mahmud expressed optimism about restricting India to a total under 400 runs. “If we can bowl them out for less than 400, it will be advantageous for us. The pitch has become more favorable for batting, so we need to find ways to exert pressure on India. We are hopeful that we can achieve this,” Mahmud stated.

Reflecting on their bowling performance, Mahmud acknowledged that the team could have shown more discipline in their approach. “We needed to be more disciplined with our bowling. Hitting the right channels consistently is crucial to putting pressure on the opposition. Although India currently has the momentum, we believe we can still restrict them to a total below 400,” he added.

Looking ahead to the second day, Mahmud highlighted the importance of early wickets. “Early breakthroughs are essential for us to regain control. The pitch is flat, but disciplined bowling can still contain the batters,” he noted.

Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first in the Chennai Test, which is the first of a two-match series against India. India’s top-order faced a collapse early on, with the team struggling at 34/3. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (56 off 118 balls, featuring nine fours) and Rishabh Pant (39 off 52 balls, with six fours) managed to stabilize the innings with a 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket. However, India found themselves at 144/6 before Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja (86* off 117 balls, including 10 fours and two sixes) put together an unbeaten 195-run partnership, ending the day at 339/6. Ashwin remains unbeaten after scoring a century.

Hasan Mahmud (4/58) was instrumental in dismantling India’s top order, claiming the wickets of skipper Rohit Sharma (6), Shubman Gill (0), and Virat Kohli (6).

The Bangladesh Playing XI for this match includes Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (Wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, and Nahid Rana.

India’s Playing XI comprises Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (Wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj.