Chennai, Sep 22 India captain Rohit Sharma lauded his bowlers for outperforming Bangladesh in the first Test and helping them register a massive 280-run win at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday
In the first innings, it was a pace battery of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, who unsettled Bangladesh batters in the middle. In the second essay, the spin duo - Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja - shared nine scalps between them to the hosts a 1-0 lead in the two-match World Test Championship series.
"No matter what the conditions are, whether we play in India, whether we play outside, we want to build the team around (bowling). Whatever the condition has to offer, we got to be ready for it. In the last few years, wherever we have played, we have managed to have that in our armory, whether it is seam bowling options or spin bowling options. You have to give credit to the guys, whenever there is a responsibility, they never shy away from it and they want to put their hand up and get the job done for the team," Rohit said after the win.
Chennai posed a distinct challenge for the bowlers with its red-soil pitch, offering good pace and bounce during the first two days of the Test. Spinners, who only claimed five of the first 24 wickets, had to adapt to the conditions before turn and bounce became prominent on the final day. Rohit emphasised the need for patience with both bat and ball.
"The red soil pitch always has something to offer. You need to have a little bit of patience as well. You don't see much happening straightaway. This was a pitch where we had to show a lot of patience whether we bat or bowl. We were patient enough with the bat to get those big runs and then with the ball as well we were patient enough to hit the right areas and put them under pressure consistently," the opener said.
Rohit further reserved his praise for comeback man Rishabh Pant, who scored his sixth Test century to equal MS Dhoni's record of most tons by an Indian wicket-keeper.
"He's been through some really tough times. The way he has managed himself through those tough times was superb to watch. "He came back in the IPL, followed by a very successful World Cup and this is the format he loves the most," Rohit said.
"For us, it was never about what he is going to do with the bat, we always knew what he had with the bat and with the gloves as well. It was just about giving him the game time. Credit to him as well, he went on to play Duleep Trophy and got ready for this Test match and had an impact straightaway in the game," he added.
The second and final Test of the series will be played at Kanpur's Green Park from September 27.
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