India’s stand-in captain KL Rahul was delighted to bag his first victory as a Test captain after the team won the first Test match against Bangladesh by 188 runs at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chhatogram. Rahul had also led against South Africa at Johannesburg but the team had lost that game by seven wickets earlier in the year.
Rahul got off to starts in both innings as he scored 22 and 23 but could not convert them into big scores. However, the right-hander was able to lead with aplomb and he was spot on with his field changes and bowlers’ rotation.
Meanwhile, India came up with a collective show as Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujar, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Mohammed Siraj – all played a key role in the team’s win in the first Test match.
Rahul said in a video posted on bcci.tv: “Feels good now that the game is over that I have a victory as a captain. I would have wanted my first game (as captain) to also start off with a win, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Happy that we played good cricket. To get this win was really important for us.
“Like anyone else, the first victory is sweet and happy and hopefully, we can build on this. The focus will be on the next game now and trying to win the series.”
On the other hand, Shubman Gill scored his first Test century, scoring a fine knock of 110 runs in the second essay. Rahul was delighted for the youngster after he played a key role in strengthening India’s position in the second innings.
“First Test hundred for Shubman and really happy that he could get this. He’s batted really well and he’s got close to that first hundred a few times, but he has missed out and really happy that he could get his first hundred.”
Meanwhile, India had to work hard for their win as the home team scored 324 runs in the second dig after batting for 113.2 overs.
“We had to work hard and had to bowl 100-120 overs to get them (Bangladesh) all-out. The pitch was easier to bat, much slower. There was not much in the wicket. We had to work really hard and it was a complete team performance.
“This is what Test cricket is all about. It’s about the grind, about the hard work. The opposition really made us grind for this victory.”
The second Test match will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on Thursday.
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