Bowlers weighed down by batters’ deadweight

Claiming that the second day of the Chennai Test between Bangladesh and India yesterday was almost evenly matched may seem absurd, but this notion is not totally out of place, at least in one department.
India ended the day on 81-3 in their second innings, extending their lead over Bangladesh to 308. Earlier in the day, the Indian bowlers bundled out the Tigers for just 149 in reply to their first innings score of 376, earning a 227-run lead for the hosts.
The match is now heavily tilted in favour of India, and it will take almost a miracle for Bangladesh to save themselves from a crushing defeat, which would be their fourth straight Test loss in Indian soil.
But even on a day when Bangladesh were seemingly overpowered by India, the Bangladesh bowlers put up a decent account for themselves, almost matching their counterparts in the bowling metrics.
Overall, the ball ruled over the bat at the MA Chidambaram Stadium yesterday, with a record 17 wickets falling in the day, the most in a single day at the venue, which has been hosting Tests since 1934.
On Friday, Bangladesh pacers claimed four wickets with the new ball to close out India’s first innings in the morning session. Taskin Ahmed claimed three wickets and Hasan Mahmud struck once to complete his second five-wicket haul in Tests.
The Tigers conceded just 37 runs for the four scalps, ensuring India didn’t cross the 400-mark after resuming the day’s play on 339-6.
The Indian attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah who took the highest four wickets, then laid waste to Bangladesh in just 47.1 overs.
After having bowled 91.2 overs in the first innings, the tired Bangladeshi bowlers had to return to the field, with slumped shoulders and all, after a break that barely lasted one and a half sessions.
The bowlers seemed a bit demoralised, understandably, after a shocking performance from the batters. But nevertheless, they soldiered on and got rewarded for their efforts, claiming three wickets in 23 overs, with Taskin, Nahid Rana and Mehedi Hasan Miraz claiming one wicket each.
Now, adding up the numbers from both innings, Bangladesh bowled a total of 34.2 overs on Day 2, conceded 118 runs for seven wickets.
Bangladesh’s bowling average on the day was 16.86 and strike rate stood at 29.43.
Compared to that, the Indian bowling attack’s average on the second day was 14.9 and strike rate was 28.3, both only slightly better than Bangladesh’s.
Even though bowling wise both teams were almost evenly matched on Friday, the scoreboard shows that India are in a much stronger position in the match after the second day than they were at stumps on Day 1.
The biggest difference between the two sides so far in the match has been one partnership, the mammoth 199-run stand for the seventh wicket between Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the first innings.
India were six wickets down for just 144 when they got together on Thursday. The duo first rescued the hosts from a precarious position and then gradually put them in the driving seat of the match.
Although India’s top-six failed to make it big in the first innings, they hung around for a while, with the sixth wicket falling in the 43rd over, softening up the ball which made things easier for Ashwin and Jadeja.
Bangladesh’s top order, by comparison, could neither put up a big score nor play out too many deliveries, as they were six wickets down inside 29 overs in their first innings.
The frailties of the Bangladesh batting line-up were evident even during the series in Pakistan, which they won 2-0 last month, when they were 26-6 in the second Test before a rescue act from Liton and Miraz saved their blushes.
But the Indian attack is head and shoulders above the one they faced in Pakistan, and in their first trial, the Tigers have failed to show the grit to survive through a tough period against a quality attack.
The batters will get a chance at redemption in the second innings but without a change in application and a good hard look at the mirror, chances of a turnaround look slim at best.