Fast bowler Umesh Yadav and offspinner Ravi-chandran Ashwin shared eight wickets to put India on top against Bangladesh on day one of the second cricket test on Thursday.
Another pacer, Jaydev Unadkat, took the other two wickets in his first test in 12 years.
Bangladesh was dismissed for 227 in its first in-nings and India reached 19 for no loss before bad light ended the day with six overs remaining.
Shubman Gill was batting on 14 with captain KL Rahul on 3 after surviving a leg-before decision.
Mominul Haque, one of two changes by Bang-ladesh after heavy defeat in the first test last weekend, made a team-high 84 and was the ninth batter out. The home side lost its last five wickets for just 14 runs.
Most of the Bangladeshis made starts but failed to dig in on an otherwise good batting track. Mush-fiqur Rahim made 26 and Liton Das added 25.
“It is very frustrating,” Bangladesh batting coach Jamie Siddons said. “We work hard. We talk about when you’re in, you need to stay in. You have to make sure of a big score when you get a start.
“People made mental errors again when they were set. The ball was spinning but the pace bowlers weren’t getting off a great deal. To let Umesh get four wickets was very disappointing.”
Mominul’s half-century was only the fourth in the series by Bangladesh. Siddons has been working with the players for six, seven months and said he’s still trying to improve their game temperament.
“If they can do it to get 28, they have to keep doing it for another 28,” Siddons said. “We seem to change our game, go up a gear. Shakib walks down the wicket, Liton tries to hit one a little bit harder, Mehidy plays a rash shot. They walk off shaking their head, (thinking) ‘Why did I do that?’ But they have to take that responsibility.
“They have to stay in the same gear for six hours. We talk about batting till the end of the day and punching gloves and walking off with your team-mate. Not getting a flashy 28 or 30. It keeps happen-ing.”
Mominul, who replaced Yasir Ali, was dropped on 11 by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant off Ashwin (4-72).
However, Ashwin had Mominul caught by Pant when the batter’s glove was nicked trying to leave a turning delivery. He hit 12 fours and one six in his knock, playing 157 balls.
“Mominul had a more positive approach rather than thinking he was going to get bad balls,” Siddons said. “He was thinking I am going to score today. You have a better chance of having success when you do that.”
Mominul played a disciplined India bowling at-tack with utmost confidence to keep the scoreboard ticking amid wickets tumbling around him.
After opting to bat first, Bangladesh openers Najmul Hossain and Zakir Hasan combined for 39 but both of them were dismissed in the space of three balls.
Unadkat made the breakthrough when he dis-missed Zakir for 15 with a delivery that carried extra bounce.
Zakir, who made a century on debut in the first test, could have gone for a duck had Mohammed Siraj not dropped him at backward square leg off Yadav in the second over of the day.
Najmul went on 24 after offering no shot against Ashwin.
Captain Shakib Al Hasan joined Mominul and played some aggressive shots. But he went for one shot too many as he lobbed one straight to Cheteshwar Pujara at mid off and gave Yadav (4-25) his first wicket.—APP
