NATIONAL
Rain-marred Fatullah Test drawn
India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin ruled the Bangladesh batsmen as the Fatullah Test was drawn after a monsoon-drenched start to the final day.
The rain curtailed one-off Test, which saw just 170.2 in five days, is the second drawn Test between the neighbours. On both occasions Bangladesh had to thank mother nature for their survival.
Trailing Indias 462 for six, the hosts started the day on 111 for three following a first session washout at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium on Sunday.
Ashwins talismanic off-spin ripped through the Bangladesh batting leaving the tall spinner with a five-wicket haul.
Once the first session of the final day was washed out, the draw was inevitable, but India gave a glimpse into the possibilities had this match not lost 248 overs to rain by bowling Bangladesh out for 256 and enforcing a follow-on. Though he couldnt help India avoid slipping to fourth in the ICC rankings thanks to this draw, the most impressive player of the match, R Ashwin, registered his first five-wicket haul outside India. Bangladesh will be disappointed their first innings lasted only 65.5 overs on a pitch that India batted comfortably and lost wickets only when their batsmen went out of their way to score quick runs.
The final days play began with Bangladesh needing 152 to avoid the follow-on with seven wickets in hand. A maximum of 67 overs could have been bowled on the day. Had Bangladesh batted sensibly they would have avoided the drama of having to bat again and hanging in grimly. Confronted with some excellent bowling from Ashwin but little else, Bangladesh failed to do so although theirs was a general air of just having a good time without having to worry about the result because it had been ruled out. In a live Test they might well have shown more application.
Shakib Al Hasan fell manufacturing a cut, Imrul Kayes and Mohammad Shahid jumped out of the crease to Harbhajan Singh - all three of the returning offspinners victims were batsmen outside their crease - and Soumya Sarkar and others kept swinging away even when not quite in control of the shots. Ashwin, though, was in a different league, relying on his offbreak, getting it to drift and dip, drawing sharp turn and bounce, and brought some excitement into a match dulled by poor scheduling: the first in monsoon June in Bangladesh.
Even after Shakib fell early on in the day, the shots kept coming. Some of them came off - Sarkar managed an ungainly 37 - but they brought about wickets. The bright spot for Bangladesh was debutant Litton Das 44 off 45, but he too struggled as Ashwin drifted the ball away from him. After having found himself away from the pitch of the ball, Das eventually gloved one bouncing offbreak to backward short leg. Das wicket made it 232 for 8, and it was followed by a poor shot from Mohammad Shahid and poor running from Taijul Islam and Jubair Hossain.
Intent to give it every possible shot, Virat Kohli asked Bangladesh to bat again, but there was never going to be enough time to force a result. Hands were shaken the moment Bangladesh had batted out 15 overs in the second innings and the mandatory overs became due.
