🏏BD vs India - 1st Test: Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram 🏏 - Page 11

Kuldeep Yadav sizzled with an all-round performance as he put India in the driver’s seat on day two of the opening Test against Bangladesh here on Thursday. Playing his first Test after more than 22 months, Kuldeep continued his ‘birthday’ party a day after turning 28, in his sensational run with the bat and ball.

Batting at number nine, the left-hander first came up with a career-best 40 from 114 balls (5×4) in a 92-run eighth wicket partnership with veteran Ravichandran Ashwin (58; 113b) to push India to 404 in their first inning from an overnight score of 278/6.

Coming into bowl in the 25th over, the left-arm wrist spinner struck off his second ball as he flummoxed the Bangladesh batters with his wrong ones to end the day with figures of 10-3-33-4, a performance that is certain to regain his confidence.

At stumps on day two, Bangladesh were 133 for eight, trailing India by 271 runs. With two wickets in hand, the hosts still need 72 runs to avoid a follow-on.

India is in a strong position to win the game here. It will take something miraculous for Bangladesh to get back into the game again. Kuldeep has been excellent with the ball with his four wickets alongside Siraj who in his opening burst picked up three for.

BAN 133/8

Kuldeep Yadav: I was a bit nervous, I was very lucky to get the first wicket in the first over. Got the momentum back. After a couple of overs, I started feeling well, mixed my pace and variations, tried both the angles - over the wicket and round the wicket. I was getting proper turn, I was actually loving it. After I got injured, I started working on my rhythm, trying to be a bit quicker - that's helping me a lot. I am not compromising with the spin. When I was batting, I thought that there was not much in it for the spinners. I didn't face any discomfort while batting. I thought it'll be good for batting. When you're a wrist-spinner bowling with the Kookaburra ball, you'll definitely get turn and bounce on such wickets.

How much more can Bangladesh's last two wickets frustrate India? Will India enforce the follow on if they are ahead by that much? As far as the latter goes, we just witnessed Umesh and Siraj check out a new set of balls... so it could be on the cards. This is Himanshu saying hello ahead of Day 3 in Chattogram.

Shreyas Iyer spoke ahead of play: "Fortunate to be starting on a good note. When I leave the field, I shouldn't have any regrets. I just stay in the present, and not think of what the bowler is going to bowl... I just analyse the situation. I felt I could have got the hundred on the first day itself.

In a quick recap of yesterday's action, it was the trio of Kuldeep, Siraj and Ashwin that helped India take control, as Vishal Dikshit's bulletin states.

Kuldeep has often fallen quite behind in the queue of Indian spinners - there are Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar in front of him already - and he has played just eight Tests in almost six years since his Test debut. But Sid Monga chronicles how Kuldeep is drifting and dipping his way into the reckoning.

Bangladesh have been blown away by Kuldeep Yadav in a spell that Shane Warne would be very proud of. He took four wickets in six overs on introduction and found turn with bounce. After Ashwin-Kuldeep's rearguard action to help push it past 400, Siraj got a first ball wicket when Bangladesh began their story. Umesh had Yasir's stump flying. Siraj then accounted for Zakir and Litton soon to make it 56/4 - all four wickets to pacers. Enter Kuldeep, he got Shakib the first ball the latter faced him, almost had Nurul LBW same over. Eventually got him a while later, removed Rahim and then did a double again by knocking over Taijul. It looked as if the innings could be over today, but Mehidy yet again showed his class and interestingly Ebadot came out with some nice defence and a few attacking strokes. India on top, looking good to enforce follow-on should they have that option. Bangladesh need a miracle to get out from the hole they have dug themselves into. We'll start with Day 3 action tomorrow at 09:30 local time.

Kuldeep Yadav: I was a bit nervous, I was very lucky to get the first wicket in the first over. Got the momentum back. After a couple of overs, I started feeling well, mixed my pace and variations, tried both the angles - over the wicket and round the wicket. I was getting proper turn, I was actually loving it. After I got injured, I started working on my rhythm, trying to be a bit quicker - that's helping me a lot. I am not compromising with the spin. When I was batting, I thought that there was not much in it for the spinners. I didn't face any discomfort while batting. I thought it'll be good for batting. When you're a wrist-spinner bowling with the Kookaburra ball, you'll definitely get turn and bounce on such wickets.

Day 3: Good morning everyone! Just as we all wondering where this game was headed with India batting almost five sessions and only 400 on the board on a slow pitch, Bangladesh's poor final session has accelerated this game. They had no idea how to handle Kuldeep with the amount of turn and bounce he was getting. And being a wrist spinner, he looked the most lethal of all bowlers from both sides. Bangladesh somehow need to deny India the chance of a follow-on at least to stand a chance of pushing this game deep. Can the lower order frustrate India? And should India have the opportunity, there high chances of asking Bangladesh to bat again because the bowlers are pretty fresh and enough runs left in the bank.

Shreyas Iyer: Whenever I wake up in the morning I try see to it that I have a good day at the office. I just try to be at the present. I love to analyse the situation and play the situation very well. Whenever the team is in trouble, I want to get soaked and bail the team out of it. (On missing the century) I am absolutely unhappy, I could have got it on the first day as luck was going my way. When you're batting on 80 .... the next day, you already think about the game. At that moment, I froze a bit. I had a good temperament on the first day until I got to 67 and played that rash stroke but I back my natural game. We try to keep the atmosphere light, especially the close-in fielders and try to distract the batters. Some humour because it's tiring and you need some entertainment. We pull each others' legs. Everything is normal once we get off the field.