Historic Victory for India in Opening Test Against Bangladesh
India concluded an impressive victory in Chennai, winning the first Test match of the 2023/24 home season against Bangladesh by a significant 280 runs in an eventful morning that ended before lunch. This remarkable victory marked a milestone progression in India's 92-year Test cricket journey, with the number of wins now surpassing losses, an accomplishment achieved by only six other teams before them.
A triumphant 280 run win, coming from an unsettling start with a score of below 150 at the loss of six wickets in the first innings, registered as the third-best comeback in Asian Test cricket history. Pakistan holds the lead in this niche category with their 341 run win over India in Karachi in 2006 despite an initial score of 39/6.
Prolific Indian cricketer, R Ashwin, also registered groundbreaking stats, scoring a century while bagging a five-wicket haul in the same test match, coming second only to Ian Botham for such feats. Ashwin even became the first ever player to achieve this twice at the same venue - Chennai, in this case. The victory also placed him on par with cricket legend Shane Warne in terms of taking five wickets in 37 matches, second after Muttiah Muralidaran who managed the same in 67 matches out of 133.
With a record 99 wickets in the fourth innings, surpassing Anil Kumble’s previous record of 94, Ashwin also recorded his seventh five-fors in the fourth innings. He also became the first Indian bowler to bag six wickets in the second innings after failing to take any in the first inning, twice.
Ashwin's performance earned him the 'Player of the Match' title, his 10th such accolade in 101 Test appearances, ranking him third in terms of such awards for India among players like Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, and Anil Kumble, and after Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
Lastly, this Test match saw only four DRS referrals, equating it with the lowest number of appeals in India's Test cricket history, the same as the Rafkot Test between India and West Indies in 2018. It also featured just a single LBW dismissal during this match, a rare occurrence in Indian Test matches.
