CHENNAI: India seized control of the first Test against Bangladesh, establishing a substantial lead of 308 runs after fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah spearheaded a dominant performance to dismiss the visitors for a mere 149 on Friday.

At the close of play on day two in Chennai, the hosts were 81-3 in their second innings. Shubman Gill, unbeaten on 33, and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, not out on 12, were at the crease. Taskin Ahmed struck early to remove captain Rohit Sharma for just five runs, while fellow pace bowler Nahid Rana had left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal caught behind for 10.

Spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz delivered a crucial blow by trapping Virat Kohli lbw for 17, with ultra edge technology revealing a faint edge that even Kohli failed to notice. Fresh off a 2-0 series sweep in Pakistan, Bangladesh’s batting lineup crumbled, with former skipper Shakib Al Hasan top-scoring with 32 in response to India’s formidable first-innings total of 376.

“Overall, our batting was disappointing, and we could have done much better than that,” Taskin remarked. “India bowled well, but we lost too many wickets in the first 10 overs, which cost us dearly.” Opting not to enforce the follow-on, India chose to build on their substantial lead of 227.

Ravichandran Ashwin set up a challenging total for Bangladesh with his stellar 113, forming a marathon 199-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Ravindra Jadeja. “This Bangladesh team has really come a long way,” Ashwin noted. “We need to keep the foot on the accelerator and maintain our momentum.”

India’s bowlers came out aggressively, reducing Bangladesh to 40-5 early in the second session. Pace bowler Akash Deep struck twice in successive deliveries before lunch, rattling the tourists. Bumrah made the initial breakthrough by bowling Shadman Islam for two. Deep then dismissed left-handed Zakir Hasan for three and bowled Mominul Haque for a duck. Mushfiqur Rahim survived the hat-trick ball but managed only eight runs before falling to Bumrah’s second wicket.

Shakib and wicketkeeper-batsman Litton Das, who scored 22, added 51 runs but were soon dismissed by Jadeja’s left-arm spin. Bumrah continued his aggressive spell with bouncers and yorkers, and along with Mohammed Siraj, cleaned up the Bangladesh tail, leaving Mehidy unbeaten on 27.

Bangladesh fast bowler Hasan Mahmud concluded with figures of 5-83, having disrupted India’s batting order on day one before Ashwin and Jadeja’s resilient fightback. The pair resumed play with India at 339-6 overnight, but Taskin quickly broke their stand by having Jadeja caught behind without adding to his overnight score of 86.

Taskin continued his form by claiming his third wicket, dismissing hometown hero Ashwin, who received a standing ovation after scoring his sixth Test century, featuring 10 fours and two sixes. Hasan completed the innings with his second five-wicket haul in just his fourth Test.

India aims to extend their lead at the top of the World Test Championship rankings as they embark on a new season of ten Test matches. Bangladesh remains winless against India in Test cricket.