Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 21 (ANI): Former Bangladesh cricketer Tamim Iqbal has emphasized the importance for Bangladesh’s batters, particularly openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam, to convert their promising starts into substantial scores.

In the ongoing first Test against India, Bangladesh is chasing a daunting target of 515 runs. Three wickets from India’s ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have significantly set back Bangladesh’s efforts. By the end of the third day, Bangladesh had managed to score 158/4, with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (51*) and Shakib Al Hasan (5*) remaining unbeaten. The team had a strong start in the final session at 56/0, courtesy of Shadman Islam (21) and Zakir Hasan (32), who together built a promising 62-run opening stand before being separated by Jasprit Bumrah.

Speaking on JioCinema, Tamim stressed the necessity for the openers to capitalize on their good starts, stating that their current scores, although promising, won’t benefit the team in the long term. “Both the openers looked very solid and were batting very comfortably. But these 30s, 35s won’t help Bangladesh in the longer run. We talked about how good they were for an hour or so, but people will still see it as 30s and won’t understand how well they batted. That’s why it’s very important for openers to make it count whenever they get an opportunity,” Tamim commented.

Tamim also highlighted the challenges of facing the new ball in Test cricket, noting that while getting a good start is tough, converting it into a significant score is crucial. “We know that facing the new ball in Test cricket is very difficult. But when you get a start, you need to make it count. The openers will be very disappointed but they played much better than in the first inning,” he added.

Reviewing the match progress, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to field first. India’s top-order faltered early on, finding themselves at 34/3. However, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (56 off 118 balls) and Rishabh Pant (39 off 52 balls) managed to stitch together a vital 62-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Following another collapse that left India at 144/6, Ravichandran Ashwin (113 off 133 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (86* off 117 balls) constructed a critical 199-run partnership, propelling India to a total of 376 in 91.2 overs.

Bangladesh’s bowler Hasan Mahmud stood out with figures of 5/83, dismantling India’s top order by removing key players like Rohit Sharma (6), Shubman Gill (0), and Virat Kohli (6). Taskin Ahmed contributed by taking three wickets for 55 runs.

In response, Bangladesh struggled with consistent wicket losses in their first innings. Shakib Al Hasan (32), Litton Das (22), and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (27*) offered some resistance, but India’s bowlers Jasprit Bumrah (4/50) and Akash Deep (2/19) were instrumental in bowling out Bangladesh for just 149 runs, resulting in a deficit of 227 runs.

In India’s second innings, despite another top-order collapse at 67/3, centuries from Gill (119*) and Rishabh Pant (109 off 128 balls) helped India declare their innings at 287/4. This set Bangladesh a formidable target of 515 runs to win.

Bangladesh began their chase positively with openers Zakir Hasan (33) and Shadman Islam (35) putting together a solid 62-run partnership. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto played a captain’s knock with an unbeaten 51 off 60 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes. However, Ravichandran Ashwin (3/63) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/18) continued to take crucial wickets. By the end of day three, Bangladesh’s score was 158/4 with Shanto and Shakib Al Hasan (5*) holding the fort.

This match highlights the resilience and skill required in Test cricket, with individual performances like those of Ashwin and Bumrah proving decisive in shifting the balance of play.