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DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS
Ravichandran Ashwin followed up his century (113) in the first innings with a six-wicket haul (6 for 88) on the fourth day of the match, which turned out to be the concluding day, as Bangladesh folded up for 234 in their second innings, while chasing a mammoth 515 to win.
The game saw a special century besides hundreds by Ashwin and Shubman Gill (119 not out), when Rishabh Pant, playing his first Test since the horrific car accident in December 2022, scored his sixth Test century (109).
Incidentally, it made Pant the joint leader, alongside the legendary MS Dhoni, in the list of Indian wicketkeepers with most Test centuries.
“Definitely a lot special,” said Pant while speaking on live broadcast following India’s win on Sunday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. “Firstly, I love playing in Chennai and secondly after injury I was looking to play all three formats. This was my first match in this format and hopefully I did better.”
Pant, who scored 39 in the first innings, reckoned it to be an emotional hundred for many reasons, including the fact that it came in a format where, he says, “I belong the most”.
“Definitely it was emotional, I was looking to score runs in each and every game. Coming back to Test cricket, where I belong the most, being on the field gives me pleasure more than anything else,” he said.
Pant added a crucial partnership of 62 runs with Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first innings after India were reduced to a precarious 34 for 3. In the second innings, his dominating partnership of 167 runs with Gill swelled India’s lead past 500.
“I don’t know what people say outside, I try to read the situation in my own way. When you are 30 for 3 for 50 for 3, you need to stitch a partnership and that’s what I did with Gill. To do it with a guy who I have a great relationship with is special,” he concluded.
The Chennai win gives India an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The second Test begins in Kanpur from September 27.
