IND vs BDESH 2024/25, IND vs BAN 1st Test Match Report, September 19 – 23, 2024

India 376 and 205 for 3 (Gill 86*, Pant 82*) to lead Bangladesh 149 for 432 runs

Gill and Pant, both aggressive batsmen committed to the attack, admitted that they were the only ones who could pull it off, and put their heads down with a loud knock. They always respect the good balls, sometimes they go out and hit sixes. Gill hit Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who bowled in the opposite direction almost every session, three of them reaching 27 sixes in his 26th Test; Pant rose to 58 in just 34 Tests, but also for the first time in almost two years.

Unlike Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma on the third night, who just tried to commit to the toss, these two started the day respecting the bowling and that they could defend the tempo without worrying about the eds and the closers. It was only in the seventh week of the day that someone tried to force the issue, and Gill did so well with two sixes over long-on.

Pant, more careful not to give it away after bowling it out a bit in the first innings, took a little more time before going for the shots. – no one better than sweeping Hasan Mahmud’s beautiful legs above six 10 minutes before lunch.

Gill joined the rush before lunch, suggesting an announcement could come sooner rather than later. With that push for quick runs came a bowler from Pant seven minutes before the break, but captain Najmul Hossain Shanto put it down. Pant still hit two fours in the last over before the break, throwing down the gauntlet of the race in a big way.