By Qaiser Mohammad Ali
IANS
Dhaka : Pacer Zaheer Khan took seven wickets as India hammered Bangladesh by an innings and 239 runs – their biggest victory ever – with over two days to spare in the second and final Test to win the rain-affected series 1-0 here Sunday.
Khan took five wickets in the first innings and two in the second to be adjudged the Man of the Match after the top four Indian batsmen had scored centuries to set a unique record at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Thanks to the four centuries, India declared their first innings at 610 for three wickets and asked Bangladesh to follow on after the home side was all out for 118 – a 492-run deficit – in their first innings on the third day Sunday. In their second innings, Bangladesh were all out for 253.
This was the fifth Test between the two countries, and India have won four of them. The first match in Chittagong had ended in a draw after rains prevented over two days of action.
Bangladesh have now played 46 Tests and lost 40. They have won only one match and drawn five.
India, who proved a far superior team than their rivals, had also won the rain-affected One-day International (ODI) series 2-0.
This was Dave Whatmore's last match as Bangladesh coach and the former Australian Test player will leave the country shortly after a four-year stint.
Pacer Mashrafe Mortaza emerged as Bangladesh's top scorer with 70 (68 balls, 8x4s, 3x6s). His batting put to shame the established batsmen, who seemed to be in a hurry to get out.
Of the specialist batsmen, only vice-captain Mohammad Ashraful stayed at the wicket for a while but his approach left a lot to be desired. He made the world's fastest half-century in 26 minutes and finished with 67 (41 balls, 12x4s, 2x6s).
Starting their second innings in huge arrears, the Bangladeshi batsmen showed no keenness to stay at the wicket and went for their shots.
Like in the first innings, left-armer Khan struck with the first ball of the innings. Javed Omar snicked the ball to wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be out for nought and bag the unwanted 'king of pair'. But television replays showed that his bat had not touched the ball.
Ten runs later, Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar (5) too marched back to the pavilion after giving a catch to Dravid at mid-on off Khan. At the same score, Shahriar Nafees (4) also departed, caught by a diving Dhoni off left-arm pacer Rudra Pratap Singh, who bowled well in the match.
At this stage it looked like the match would be over soon as the Bangladeshi batsmen were not ready to put up a fight. But Ashraful joined Rajin Saleh and the two were involved in a meaningful stand of 81.
It was, however, baffling to see the talented Ashraful go for his shots when the situation demanded occupation of the crease. In one over bowled by Khan, he hit a four and sent the next ball over square leg for six. Khan conceded 13 runs in that over and was removed from the attack.
In the next over from debutant Ishant Sharma, Ashraful smashed 14 runs including three boundaries.
During this over, Ashraful, playing his 35th match, reached his seventh half-century in just 27 minutes (strike rate 196.2, 9x4s, 2x6s). It was the fastest half-century in 112 years of Test cricket, beating the previous record by one minute.
England's John Thomas Brown had smashed his 50 in 28 minutes in the fifth Test against Australia in Melbourne in March 1895.
But the adventurous Ashraful was finally caught by Sachin Tendulkar at short mid wicket off Kumble.
The entire Bangladeshi approach to batting was baffling. The team's first 50 had come off 52 balls but the next one needed a mere 37 as they touched the 100-run mark in 40.1 overs. It seemed as if they were playing a one-dayer.
Saleh (42, 46 balls, 8x4s) was involved in another meaningful stand for the fifth wicket with Sakibul Hasan. They added 44 runs but never looked comfortable against an aggressive Indian attack.
Saleh got a 'life' at 40 when Sharma ran backwards to take the catch but failed to hold on to a difficult chance off Ramesh Powar. The miss did not prove costly as two balls later Sourav Ganguly caught him at mid-wicket off the off-spinner.
After the tea interval, wickets continued falling at regular intervals. Sakibul (15, 64 balls, 1×4) added just two runs to his score – and Bangladesh three -before giving Dravid an easy catch off Powar. Bangladesh were now reeling at 150 for six.
Soon after that the reliable Khaled Mashud was also gone. After occupying the crease for about an hour for his eight runs, he suddenly stepped out against Powar but missed the length and spooned a dolly catch to Tendulkar at short mid on.
The last resistance came from the Sharif-Mashrafe Mortaza combine. They defied the predominantly spin attack for over an hour and raised 54 priceless runs for the eighth wicket. The stand was broken when Sharif (17, 56 balls, 2x4s) fell to Kumble's guile, offering him a return catch.
A Tendulkar full toss accounted for Mohammad Rafique. Mortaza was the last man to go when he miscued a sweep to give Dhoni an easy catch off Tendulkar.
Earlier, the day began with Bangladesh resuming their first innings at 58 for five with Sakibul (30) and Sharif (0) at the crease. The innings lasted 101 minutes and 21.2 overs.
It was a combination of some good bowling by Khan and Singh and the batsmen's penchant for playing shots.
Sakibul (30, 47 balls, 4x4s) lasted only two balls as Khan won a leg-before-wicket verdict. Sharif and the experienced Mashud then occupied the crease only briefly before Kumble had the former leg before the wicket for 13.
At 85 for seven, Bangladesh were facing an uphill task to avoid the follow on.
Then Sharma took his maiden Test wicket with the second ball of his sixth over. He had Mortaza (2) caught by Kumble at gully.
Bangladesh broke the psychological barrier of 100 in 30.3 overs. Ten runs later, Khan castled Rafique for his fifth wicket of the innings. It was the fourth five-wicket haul in his 47th match.
Rasel would have gone with the addition of eight runs had Karthik at short leg not dropped him off Powar. Mashud (25, 64 balls, 2x4s) was the last man to be out.
With this wicket, Kumble took his wicket tally to 550 in his 115th match. He became only the fourth bowler in Test history to reach that mark.
Bangladesh finished 492 runs short of India's total and were expectedly asked to follow on.
SCOREBOARD
Third Day, Second Test, India vs. Bangladesh, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka
India (1st innings): 610/3 declared
Bangladesh (1st innings, overnight 58/5 wickets):
Javed Omar c Karthik b Khan 0
Shahriar Nafees b Khan 2
Habibul Bashar c Dhoni b R.P. Singh 4
Rajin Saleh c Jaffer b Kumble 20
Mohammad Ashraful lbw b 0
Shakibul Hasan lbw b Khan 30
Mohammad Sharif lbw b Kumble 13
Khaled Mashud c Dhoni b Kumble 25
Mashrafe Mortaza c Kumble b Sharma 2
Mohammad Rafique b Khan 12
Syed Rasel not out 2
Extras: (lb 2, nb 6) 8
Total: (in 37.2 overs) 118
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Omar, 0.1 over), 2-5 (Bashar, 1.4), 3-7 (Nafees, 2.2), 4-7 (Ashraful, 2.3), 5-40 (Saleh, 10.4), 6-58 (Shakibul, 16.2), 7-85 (Sharif, 25.5), 8-93 (Mortaza, 28.2), 9-110 (Rafique, 32.5)
Bowling:
Zaheer Khan 10 1 34 5 (2nb)
Rudra Pratap Singh 9 2 28 1
Anil Kumble 9.2 3 32 3
Ishant Sharma 7 1 19 1 (4nb)
Ramesh Powar 2 1 3 0
Bangladesh (2nd innings):
Javed Omar c Dhoni b Khan 0
Shahriar Nafees c Dhoni b R.P. Singh 4
Habibul Bashar c Dravid b Khan 5
Rajin Saleh c Ganguly b Powar 42
Mohammad Ashraful c Tendulkar b Kumble 67
Shakibul Hasan c Dravid b Powar 15
Khaled Mashud c Tendulkar b Powar 8
Mashrafe Mortaza c Dhoni b Tendulkar 70
Mohammad Sharif c & b Kumble 17
Mohammad Rafique lbw b Tendulkar 11
Syed Rasel not out 1
Extras: (lb 1, w 3, nb 9) 13
Total: (all out in 57.3 overs) 253
Fall of wickets: 1/0 (Omar, 0.1 over), 2-10 (Bashar, 2.5), 3-10 (Nafees, 3.5), 4-91 (Ashraful, 12.6), 5-135 (Saleh, 19.6), 6-150 (Shakibul, 33.5), 7-154 (Mashud, 35.3), 8-208 (Sharif, 50.3), 9-223 (Rafique, 53.4)
Bowling:
Zaheer Khan 8 1 54 2 (nb 4)
Rudra Pratap Singh 6 1 28 1
Ishant Sharma 6 1 30 0 (nb 1)
Anil Kumble 15 1 72 2 (nb 4)
Ramesh Powar 16 4 33 3 (w 1)
Sachin Tendulkar 6.3 1 35 2
Result: India won by an innings and 239 runs
Man of the Match: Zaheer Khan (India)
Man of the Series: Sachin Tendulkar (India)
Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia) and Billy Doctrove (West Indies)
TV umpire: Nadir Shah (Bangladesh)
Reserve umpire: Monzur Rahman (Bangladesh)
Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka)