Different opponent but same story - a clinical series whitewash.
Team India eased past Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in the landmark pink-ball test to register their third series sweep in as many months.
After registering a comprehensive win by an innings-and-130-runs in the first test match in Indore, a similar story unfolded in Kolkata as the hosts got the better of Bangladesh by an innings-and-46 runs. The side continue to remain unbeaten in the World Test Championships.
For India it were the pacers, who made life difficult for the Bangladeshi batsmen. The trio of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav accounted for 35 of the 40 Bangladeshi wickets.
With the bat, if Mayank Agarwal took honours in the first Test with his maiden double hundred, skipper Virat Kohli stamped his authority in the second.
Here’s a look at how Team India fared in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh:
Mayank Agarwal
Another great series for the Karnataka opener. Since his debut in Australia last year Mayank is going from strength to strength with the bat. This series was no different.
In the first Test in Indore, he smashed his maiden double century. Mayank’s innings lasted a mammoth 330 balls and included 28 fours and 8 sixes. He was again looking good in Kolkata against the pink ball but had to settle for only 14 runs. He finished the series as India’s highest run scorer with 257 runs at a handsome average of around 128.5 from 2 innings.
Rohit Sharma
After the rich vein of form against South Africa, it was pretty ordinary stuff from Rohit at the top of the batting order in this series.
Managing only 27 runs from his two innings, Rohit is at the bottom of the Indian batter’s list, behind even Umesh Yadav, for the two-match series. The Mumbai batsman would want to be more consistent, especially with Prithvi Shaw back from his ban. Shaw would be breathing down his neck and would be keeping the senior cricketer on his toes, staking claim for the other opener’s spot.
Cheteshwar Pujara
With two half-centuries in as many matches, there isn’t much to complain about Pujara’s batting in the series. But a batsman of his calibre is expected to convert his fifties more often.
Known for patient and stubborn batting, Pujara, off-late has been guilty of giving away his wicket once he crosses the 50-run mark. The last time he scored a century was at the beginning of 2019 against Australia in Sydney. He is certainly due for a big one.
Against Bangladesh, Pujara scored 109 runs in two innings at a decent average of over 50. He became the first Indian batsman to score a fifty with the pink ball during his 105-ball innings at the Eden Gardens.
Virat Kohli
The captain compensated for a duck in the first Test with a sublime hundred in the following Day-Night Test. The only centurion in the match, Virat Kohli became the first Indian cricketer to hit a hundred with the pink ball.
His innings of 136 of 194 balls was of gold standard, keeping in mind that he was facing an unknown entity – the pink ball. On the captaincy front, Virat appears to be evolving with every session of each single day of a Test match. Full marks to him for declaring at the right time against Bangladesh on Day 2 of the Eden Test.
Ajinkya Rahane
Like Mayank, Ajinkya Rahane can do no wrong with the bat at the moment. With four back-to-back fifty-plus scores, Rahane is having a great 2019 and certainly seems to be enjooying his role at number five.
His 86 in Indore was crucial, especially after skipper Virat Kohli departed on nought. His 190-run stand with Mayank in the first test was crucial in the context of the game since both Pujara and Kohli were back in the pavilion in a span of 14 runs.
In the two innings he played against Bangladesh, Rahane scored 137 runs at an average on 68.50 to take the number three spot among Indian batters for the series.
Wriddhiman Saha
Apart from six catches, keeper Wriddhiman Saha has nothing more to show in the series. But those half a dozen catches would be enough to make sure that the Bengal cricketer passes with distinction in the series.
The 33-year-old took stunners on either side of the wicket with consummate ease to reiterate the necessity of a specialist keeper who can compliment the lightning pace attack. In fact, it was Wriddhiman, who was working overtime during the first session of the first day of the pink ball Test to aid his pacers.
Making a comeback after more than a year during the South Africa series, Wriddhiman once again proved that wicket-keeping is truly an art – just like the other facets of the game.
Ravindra Jadeja
A quiet series by his standard, Jadeja didn’t have much scope to perform with the ball in the series. If the first Test was all about Ashwin and the fast bowlers, the second Test saw both spinners relegated to the margins by the pace triumvirate.
Jadeja bowled 17 overs in the series without much success. He was, however, more than handy with the bat. His 76-ball 60 in Indore helped India with a timely declaration.
Ravichandran Ashwin
It would be wrong to mark Ashwin on both Tests given he had little to do in the pink-ball test at Eden Gardens. Such was the impact of the seamers, both spinners Ashwin and Jadeja accounted for zero wickets!
In fact, Ashwin didn’t even get an opportunity to bowl in the first innings of the Day-Night Test. His only moment under the sun in the series was in Indore. The Tamil Nadu spinner picked 2 wickets in the first innings and came back to take three in the second innings. Ashwin felt so left out during the second Test that he was seen batting in the nets but could only manage 9 runs.
Ishant Sharma
Player of the match. Player of the series. First Indian to take a fifer with the pink ball. Ishant Sharma has achieved a lot in the two-match Test series.
The most experienced in the pack, Ishant lived up to his seniority to emerge as the joint highest wicket-taker in the series for India. The pacer has been in good form for a quite some time but with the pink ball he cracked it up one notch to make the Bangladeshi batsmen sweat in the winter afternoons of Kolkata.
Ishant, who hasn’t swung the red cherry much, was completely at ease as far as controlling the pink ball is concerned. Ishant came back in the second innings under the lights to pile on misery on the hapless Bangladesh top order. He finished with 9 wickets in the match and 12 in the series at an economical average of 10.75.
Umesh Yadav
Optimum utilisation of an opportunity – it looks like pacer Umesh Yadav is living by this mantra these days. Included in the side in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah – who is out with an injury, Umesh finished the series as the joint highest wicket taker with 12 scalps and an average of 15.00.
The transformation of the pacer has played a big part in the success of the pace unit. He had some problem controlling the pink ball during the initial stages of the match. But his sheer pace perplexed the Bangladeshi batters, who found it difficult to cope with it. With this kind of form, Umesh will surely put the team management in a dilemma once Bumrah is ready to make a comeback.
Mohammed Shami
Shami’s exploits in the second innings is soon going to be part of folklore. Once again, during the second innings in Indore, Shami dismantled the core of the Bangladeshi batting line-up with his pace and seam position. He got the wickets of skipper Mominul Haque, Mohammad Mithun and Mahmudullah. In the first innings as well, he took three wickets to finish as the highest wicket taker in the match.
Like Umesh, he also had a tough time controlling the ball initially but then he went on to complement Ishant and Umesh well. On one end he was creating the pressure, while the other two were dismissing Bangladeshi batsmen at will. Shami finished with 9 wickets at an average of 15.11.
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