We want to restrict India below 400: Hasan Mahmud

Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud put India under tremendous pressure in the first session of day one of the first Test in Chennai on September 19 (Thursday). The right-arm seamer got the new ball to talk and reduced India to 34/3 inside 10 overs.

He got Rohit Sharma caught at second slip and then had Shubman Gill strangled down the leg. From thereon, Virat Kohli went chasing a wide delivery and edged it to the wicketkeeper, putting India into further trouble.

Mahmud kept things simple, constantly hitting the length just outside off. Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal then added 62 runs for the fourth wicket before Mahmud once again gave Bangladesh a breakthrough. He ended the day with figures of 4/58 in 18 overs.

"It is obviously great to take Test wickets. I took a five-for against Pakistan so it was about trying to be consistent in my effort to contribute to the team. Today's plan was very simple. I tried to shape the ball with the seam up. I kept trying to do it and (it paid off),” ESPNcricinfo quoted Mahmud as saying. 

“After the morning session which we dominated, the wicket got settled. The ball was coming onto the bat nicely. Still, I was getting some movement later on. Maybe tomorrow we can create more chances."

India were 144/6 at one stage but that’s when Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin joined hands and have already put on 195 runs for the seventh wicket. Jadeja is unbeaten on 86, while Ashwin is batting on 102. India are 339/6, and once they cross the 400-run mark, it will almost be impossible for Bangladesh to come back in the game.

"If we can get early breakthroughs tomorrow, we will be back in the game. We want to restrict them below 400 runs. It is however a good wicket now. The conditions here are almost the same (as Pakistan), but it is the bowlers' duty to bowl aggressively, or cut down the boundaries, whatever is required,” said Mahmud.

"We were in a dominating position in the morning but the wicket is very good now. We are all trying to minimise the boundaries. The momentum has shifted today, but we could bring it back with better bowling tomorrow."

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