On Day 4, India showcased the urgency and sharpness that has taken them to the No. 1 spot

Test cricket is a slow beast. Over the course of five days, its pace can vary. Sometimes a team will make the most of winning the toss and the conditions on offer. At other times, it will be under the pump and put on a spirited fight back. It is up to the opponent side whether they want to adhere to the pace of play, or make their own break to get a handle on proceedings.

For the first two days, Bangladesh were only too happy to go along with India’s pace. The hosts won the toss and elected to bat on a placid wicket. There was not much the Tigers could do, but sit back and admire Virat Kohli in action. It is not to say that they did not try hard enough, no. The lack of penetration in their bowling just did not test the Indian batting line-up as they rode to a mammoth first innings total.

Bangladesh had two options after that. Try to force their own way, or go along with the set pace of the game, and attempt to counter India’s more potent bowling attack. It needed a whole lot of patience, and discipline, from their batsmen. And some fickleness as well, for without Shakib Al Hasan’s contribution, Mushfiqur Rahim would not have got that partnership going.

India’s pacers and spinners combine beautifully

India were beautifully sucked into believing that perseverance on this pitch would pay off. Sure, they did not do too much wrong on day three. However, at the point where Rahim put on 87 runs with 19-year-old Mehedi Hasan Miraz in the final wicket-less session, the question ought to have been if they could have done more? Given India’s firm position in the game at stumps on Saturday, the answer to this is quite difficult.

And yet, this is not about what transpired on day three, but on Sunday. The answer came forth, in realisation that India looked sharper, hungrier in the morning session than perhaps they had been in the final session on the previous day. When Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled Miraz in the first over of the day, Virat Kohli let out a passionate war cry, as he often does, only this was an indicator of how India meant business immediately.

Again, it is not to say that India did not bowl well or execute their plans properly on day three. It is just that the extra zing was missing. Maybe India had plans of getting spinners to work wonders as the match progressed, only to be thwarted by the placid nature of this wicket.

Everything said and done, there was more about the Indian attack on this fourth day morning. It was representative of the penetration that has seen them rise to No. 1 in the world rankings, channelling aggression through the pacers as they attacked the lower-order batsmen with extra pace and consistent short stuff. Then, balancing it with their spin duo who are never easy to negotiate.

Mushfiqur’s resilience is laudatory

“We expected the ball to turn from day 3, and it started turning little more from today. The way we performed as a bowling unit, a lot of credit goes to the bowlers. It wasn’t an easy wicket where you can run through the sides. You need a lot of patience. They had to work hard to get them out,” said Cheteshwar Pujara after the day’s play.

It was only down to Rahim that Bangladesh were able to resist this attack for so long, both on days three and four. There is something about playing India that inspires a fire in him, a passion that you generally associate with cricketers and fans from that neighbouring country yet generally found missing when playing other nations. Is it India’s overtly big brother status? Or, are they fighting the small team complex (with due respect) when they come face-to-face with the driving force of world cricket?

Whatever be the answer, among their current playing eleven, Rahim channels this energy the most. And it encapsulates his drive to get one past India, even if conditions and circumstances are not conducive to his efforts. His fifth Test hundred was one of dogged determination as he continuously pulled Bangladesh as close to the follow-on mark as possible, before becoming R Ashwin’s 250th Test victim.

The follow-on question

Now, over this long home season, India have had fair chances to exert themselves on the opposition in terms of enforcing the follow-on, but they have not taken them. The general idea from captain Kohli has been to take his team so far out ahead – in terms of runs – that it closes out the chance of any other result barring an Indian victory. Certainly, this was his method of operation against New Zealand, and despite some debate about his decisions, it worked.

Let it be said here though, a lead of 299 runs was not enough. For the first time this season, unlike the instances against New Zealand, India didn’t have enough runs to enforce the follow-on and exert enough pressure on the opposition without having to bat a second time. Furthermore, unlike against New Zealand as well as England in Visakhapatnam, the pitch hadn’t broken up enough to support their bowlers, let alone exert the kind of pressure they wanted to.

“Since we fielded for more than 100 overs, the idea was to give bowlers a break for a session, and then they can recover and come back fresh. We were looking to add another 150-200 runs,” said Pujara.

The difference herein is that Bangladesh were never in with a chance of victory here, the major difference from the previous two series. By batting again, despite the poor start, Kohli and company reduced the probability of securing the one desired result – draw.

As things stand then, the equation is simple: 356 more runs. 90 overs to play out. Seven wickets. Three sessions. It is obvious which is the more likely outcome from Bangladesh’s position of 103/3 at stumps.