Nepal vs Scotland - Commentary

Right then, Rohit Sharma collects the trophy and hands it to Akash Deep as the Indian captain joins his teammates in celebration. All smiles in the Indian camp as they pose for pictures with the trophy in front of the 'Winners' board, drawing the curtains on the series. Bangladesh had their moments across both Tests, where they had opportunities to push India into a corner, and at times, they succeeded in doing just that. However, India’s resilience and ability to seize key moments ultimately proved decisive. Bangladesh will take the positives from the series and will lean on them in their next series in October against South Africa at home. As for India, they will host New Zealand next for a three-match Test series, starting on October 16. We hope you enjoyed our coverage of this series. It's goodbye for now. Cheers!

Rohit Sharma, the victorious skipper of India says they always have to keep moving forward and after Rahul Dravid, as a team, they had to move ahead and with Gautam Gambhir around, he certainly allows the players to go out and play freely. Adds that they had to think a lot about how this game could move ahead after losing two days and it was all dependent on how many runs the opposition got and then they just wanted to go out and play a specific number of overs and not think much about the runs. Says that there was risk involved but they as a team were ready to give themselves a chance to be in the game and get a result. Talks about Akash Deep and says he has a lot of domestic cricket experience under him and he has the skills and quality to bowl for long periods. Ends by saying that they want to create a bunch of bowlers who are ready to play Test cricket in any given condition or time frame.

Ravichandran Ashwin is the PLAYER OF THE SERIES for his all-round brilliance in the series. He says that this is a massive win in the context of the World Test Championship standings. Tells that Rohit Sharma was very keen and the talk was about needing 80 overs to bowl Bangladesh out. Further says that the talk was about going hard with the bat and it did not matter even if they got bowled out for 230. Shares that the openers set the tone and then everyone followed that. States that you get more bite with the new ball and once the ball gets old, it gets harder so you need to change things up. Adds that it was important to make adjustments with the old ball.

Yashasvi Jaiswal is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his outstanding batting performance across both innings. He says he just wanted to play according to the situation and wanted to do his best for the team. Adds that every game and every inning is important and he was asked to play freely in the first innings and they as a team wanted to force a result and played well.

The captain of Bangladesh, Najmul Hossain Shanto says that in both Tests, they did not bat well, which is required in these conditions. Further says that if you look at our batters, they played 30-40 balls and got out. Feels that it is important in Test cricket that once you get in, you must make it count. Talking about the positives, he says that Mominul Haque batted really well and it will help going forward. Adds that the way Mehidy Hasan bowled in both innings was also a positive and he hopes that he can continue this performance in the upcoming Test series.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Jasprit Bumrah is in for a quick chat. He says it's really good to get this win with the way they batted after losing two days and bowling in tough hot conditions. Adds that the pitch was completely different to what it was in Chennai and with the wicket not very favourable, the experience comes into play and they try to access the conditions and make an impact. States that he helps the bowlers with the experience he has and they try to give it all and then hope for the result to go in the favour. Appreciates Akash Deep and says he is doing really well and gives it all in the field and with the ball. Concludes that after the World Cup, they had a break and they prepared for this long Test season and he hopes to stay on top of the game throughout.

Earlier in the Test, the opening day commenced after an hour's delay, with Rohit Sharma winning the toss and opting to insert Bangladesh into bat under overcast skies. This marked the first time India had chosen to bowl first in a home Test after 9 years. However, the decision didn’t yield early breakthroughs, as the Bangladeshi openers adopted a cautious approach. Following the dismissals of the openers, Mominul Haque and Najmul Hossain Shanto steadied the ship, ensuring no further casualties before Lunch. Shanto fell shortly after the break to Ravichandran Ashwin, but Mominul remained unfazed, progressing the innings alongside Mushfiqur Rahim. Day 1 came to an abrupt close due to bad light and subsequent rain with only 35 overs of play being possible.

Following two days of inactivity due to rain and a wet outfield, concerns grew that the match might fizzle out to a dull draw with just six sessions left. However, an action-packed day revitalized the contest, with 437 runs scored and 18 wickets falling, injecting much-needed excitement into the game. Mominul Haque was the standout performer for Bangladesh in their first innings, notching a solid century, though the rest of the lineup faltered with questionable shot selection. Having bowled the visitors for 233, India came out all guns blazing with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal setting the tone. The rest kept the momentum going as India amassed 285 runs in 34.4 overs and declared with a lead of 52 runs. In reply, Bangladesh appeared tentative, losing Zakir Hasan and the nightwatchman just before the close of play, leaving them on shaky ground heading into the final day.

Earlier on Day 5, Bangladesh started the day trailing by 26 runs, aiming to bat as long as possible with 8 wickets in hand. Shadman Islam and Najmul Hossain Shanto put up a solid resistance to keep the Indian bowlers at bay. However, once Shanto fell, things quickly unravelled for Bangladesh. From 91/3, they collapsed to 94/7 and were eventually bowled out for 146. For India, Ravindra Jadeja triggered the collapse and then Jasprit Bumrah did the cleanup job. In their pursuit of 95 runs, Yashasvi Jaiswal picked up from where he left off in the first inning and kept finding boundaries at will. While trying to go for a glory shot, he fell on 51 but the win was never in question for the hosts.

India complete a clean sweep! After losing two days to rain and a wet outfield, a result seemed unlikely, but Rohit Sharma and Co. managed to turn things around and make a match of it. Their determined efforts have culminated in a dominant win, wrapping up the series in style. With this win, India consolidate their position at the top of the World Test Championship standings.

Rishabh Pant walks out to bat now.